families await the truth, nine years after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370

Monday November 27 marks the start of the hearing on compensation for the Chinese relatives of the victims of flight MH370. The Malaysia Airlines plane disappeared unexplained on March 8, 2014, in one of the most monitored areas in the world. Since then, the families have remained in the limbo of unresolved investigations.

On March 8, 2014, the plane flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared from radar and constituted one of the greatest mysteries in the history of aviation. Coming from Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, the plane never landed in Beijing. Although some debris appearing to belong to it was later recovered in the Indian Ocean, no trace of the 239 people on board, including 153 Chinese, was found. The tragedy also left four French victims. Monday, November 27, a court in Beijing responded to the request of around forty families to reopen the case, but mainly to study possible compensation.

The disappearance of the plane still unexplained

Almost 10 years later, the same questions persist, as well as the endless waiting of loved ones, who are still asking for the truth about this affair. On March 8, 2014, flight MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur, heading to Beijing. On board: 227 passengers, 12 crew members and 14 different nationalities. The aircraft’s last contact took place over the South China Sea as it entered Vietnam’s air zone. The plane disappears from radar, and will never reach Beijing airport.

In the confusion, Malaysian authorities say the plane turned around and flew back over Malaysia, later flying over the Indian Ocean, before disappearing. A speech based on signals spotted by Inmarsat satellites. In July 2015, debris in the Réunion region was found and identified as having belonged to the missing plane. But ithe few discoveries have not calmed the frustration of the victims’ families. The vagueness and a list of imprecisions and questions grow over time: the official report provides no concrete answer and does not rule out “the intervention of a third party”, data is missing from the from the company Inmarsat, a cargo within the plane would not have been x-rayed…

The disappointment of relatives was heard again when the maritime searches launched with Australia, Malaysia and China were suspended in 2017. The hope of the families now rests on the resumption of the search by the company Ocean Infinity, as well as than a French investigation still open.

A search for truth beyond compensation paid

Faced with this whole affair, the financial obligations of the Malaysia Airlines company remain quite unclear. The Malaysian fleet and its passengers are insured by the German group Allianz. In 2014, interim payments of $50,000 were offered to the families of the missing, some of whom accepted. But at the same time, several relatives of the missing refused to sign their compensation agreement, because it released any responsibility from the airline and the Malaysian government.

Thus, nine years later, around forty families of Chinese victims continue to fight to obtain the truth, with four common defendants implicated: the company Malaysia Airlines, the aircraft manufacturer Boeing, Rolls Royce, the manufacturer of the engine of the the plane and the insurer Allianz. The Chinese justice system has communicated very little about the procedure, but we know that several hearings are scheduled until December 6. Each family will be heard by the judges separately. The requests from families are numerous. First there is compensation, but this is not necessarily the main demand. Some Chinese families continue to believe that their loved ones are still alive. They want the court to order the establishment of a financial fund which will allow research to continue.