What to know about the new search for MH370

After more than a decade of unanswered questions, the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is expected to resume, with renewed hope that one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries may finally be solved.

The plane vanished on March 8, 2014, with 239 passengers and crew on board during a routine flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Now, an advanced search vessel is combing the depths of the Southern Indian Ocean in what’s being called the final attempt to locate the missing aircraft.

UK- and US-based marine exploration firm Ocean Infinity has deployed its high-tech vessel Armada to an area long believed to be the aircraft’s final resting place – around 1560 kilometres west of Perth.

Aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas said the new mission brings fresh hope and potential closure for the victims’ families.

"It’s massive that this search is starting again to bring closure to all the relatives and loved ones left behind," he said.

Ocean Infinity’s vessel will scan a 15,000-square-kilometre stretch of ocean floor – an area previously searched but now to be examined with significantly more advanced equipment.

"This new search has been brought about by UK aerospace engineer Richard Godfrey, who has developed a new revolutionary tracing system using amateur radio waves," Thomas said.

MH370 took off for what was meant to be a six-hour flight to Beijing – but one hour in, the aircraft lost all contact over the South China Sea.

Its last recorded transmission – the now-haunting words of the pilot – remains one of aviation’s greatest mysteries.

"Good night, Malaysian Three Seven Zero."

Despite multinational search efforts, no trace of the plane was ever recovered in deep waters – only scattered debris washing up on the shores of Mauritius, Madagascar and Reunion Island.

Among those on board was New Zealander Paul Weeks, who had moved to Perth with his family following the Canterbury earthquakes. His wife, Danica Weeks, has never given up hope of finding answers.

"We need to find this plane," she said last year on the 10th anniversary of the plane's disappearance. "We can’t be left in limbo."

Speaking exclusively to 1News, Paul Weeks' sister Sara Norton said the family has spent 11 years searching for closure.

"All we want is for the plane to be found," she said. "We still have no confirmation of exactly what happened to the plane, and we can't have that until the plane is found and we have the black boxes and we can get all of that information. So every day for 11 years has been incredibly hard."

Norton said their family was nervous with the news of the latest search.

"We just want to know... They are fairly confident that they will find the plane this time and that we will get those answers, which may or may not be easy to take," she said. "You can't really prepare for something like that."

Norton said she's thought about her younger brother every day.

"He was a bit of a bit of a scalawag when he was younger but he was lucky he had a great older sister who got him out of a lot of scrapes," she said. "But he turned into a great man, a wonderful friend, and a fabulous father and husband."

"What a wonderful person he is... was... is... and he would want to be found."

Ocean Infinity has presented Malaysia’s government with a 'no-find, no-fee' contract – meaning they will only be paid the $70 million reward if the plane is found.

Malaysia hasn't signed the contract, however.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the contract, the mission is going ahead anyway – with Ocean Infinity confident that this search could finally put an end to one of aviation’s longest-running mysteries.

The vessel is expected to arrive at the search site today.