Talk about resuming the search for the aircraft has been going on since March, but the families are still waiting for a decision from the authorities.
Grace Subathirai Nathan, speaking for Voice of 370, the next-of-kin support group, said nothing had changed since Ocean Infinity, a US-based seabed exploration firm, offered to conduct the new search.
She said Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai told the group about the offer at a meeting held before the MH370 remembrance event in March.
Liow was reported as saying yesterday that Malaysia had received proposals from Ocean Infinity as well as the Dutch company Fugro and an unidentified Malaysian company.
But he added that no decision had been made yet.
Grace said the families had initially respected the government’s decision to review the offers made by the companies.
“However,” she added, “over the last two months, when we got sick of waiting, we made it known to the press. In response to our statement, the government said it had several offers, all of which are being reviewed.”
She said the families had no other details about the offers.
Maira Elizabeth Nari, the daughter of MH370 chief steward Andrew Nari, is hopeful that the search would resume.
“Honestly, I’m happy,” she told FMT. “Suddenly, it feels like there’s hope. I’m not going to put my hopes really high for this, but I hope they will find a proper piece of debris or a logical closure.”
She said finding bones or luggage would still be better than not finding anything.
“I don’t know what they can find, but hopefully something solid,” she added.
MH370 vanished three years ago en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur with 239 people on board. Its disappearance has become one of history’s greatest aviation mysteries.
Malaysia says no decision yet on new offers to search for missing MH370