KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia's transport ministry announced on Wednesday that the deep-sea search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 will resume on December 30, reigniting hopes of finally locating the aircraft that vanished over a decade ago without a trace.

The Boeing 777 aircraft disappeared from radar shortly after taking off on March 8, 2014, while en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital, to Beijing, carrying 239 people, predominantly Chinese nationals. Subsequent satellite data indicated that the plane deviated from its flight path and headed south towards the far-southern Indian Ocean, where it is believed to have crashed.

In a statement, the transport ministry highlighted that U.S.-based marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity will conduct searches intermittently from December 30 for a total of 55 days in targeted areas deemed to have the highest probability of locating the missing aircraft. The ministry emphasized that this initiative demonstrates the Malaysian government’s commitment to providing closure for the families affected by this tragedy.

In March, Malaysia's government authorized a “no-find, no-fee” contract with Ocean Infinity to resume the seabed search operation in a newly identified 15,000-square-kilometer (about 5,800-square-mile) area of the ocean. Ocean Infinity will receive $70 million only if wreckage from the aircraft is discovered. Unfortunately, the previous search efforts had to be halted in April due to adverse weather conditions.

A costly multinational search effort had previously failed to uncover any significant clues regarding the aircraft’s location. However, debris linked to the flight has been found washed ashore on the east coast of Africa and on islands in the Indian Ocean. A private search conducted in 2018 by Ocean Infinity also yielded no results.