Family members of missing passengers were hopeful on Sunday that a new search for the plane may finally shed light on one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries.
Malaysia's transport minister Anthony Loke says his government is pushing for a new attempt to find the Boeing 777 which disappeared with 227 passengers and 12 crew onboard while traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in 2014.
"As I have mentioned numerous times, as far as Malaysian government is concerned, we are committed to that search, and the search must go on."
At a remembrance event in the city of Subang Jaya, Loke said Malaysia had invited the U.S. seabed exploration company called Ocean Infinity to discuss a new search proposal after two attempts to find the plane failed.
A two-year, $130 million underwater search by Malaysia, China and Australia came to an end in January 2017.
The following year, Malaysia had engaged Ocean Infinity for a search in the southern Indian Ocean, offering up to $70 million if the plane was found.
Over the years, debris, some confirmed and some believed to be from the aircraft, have washed up on the shores of Africa and islands across the Indian Ocean, some of which were on display at Sunday's remembrance.
V.P.R. Nathan, whose wife was onboard, is hopeful the latest proposal will uncover something new.
"There have been ships lost that are found after hundreds of years. So we cannot say that this plane will never be found. There are actually plans underway now to map the whole of the world's oceans. So when they map the ocean floor, at some point in time they will find it. But whether it is in my lifetime, we cannot say."
Officials say once Malaysia's cabinet approves Ocean Infinity's proposal, it will talk to Australia about working together to resume the search.
