US President Donald Trump has announced plans to declassify government records related to the 1937 disappearance of aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, reported BBC News.

Earhart vanished while attempting to circumnavigate the globe, with her last known destination being Howland Island in the Pacific. The official explanation suggests she missed the island, lost contact and ran out of fuel before crashing into the ocean.

Trump said the story of Earhart "has captivated millions" and pledged to release "all government records related to Amelia Earhart, her final trip, and everything else about her". Some FBI and Navy files have been released over the years, but others remain classified, fuelling speculation of a cover-up.

Theories surrounding her disappearance range from a crash due to fuel exhaustion to claims of Japanese capture or covert US operations. Two prominent theories suggest she either crash-landed near the Japanese-controlled Marshall Islands or reached Nikumaroro island near Kiribati and died as a castaway.

In 1940, parts of a skeleton were found on Nikumaroro and initially believed to be Earhart's, but doctors later concluded they belonged to a man. Despite the lack of conclusive evidence, interest in her case remains strong.

In 2024, researchers claimed sonar imaging had located a small aircraft on the Pacific Ocean floor at a depth of 4,877 metres, possibly Earhart's plane. In 2022, events in Derry marked the 90th anniversary of her transatlantic landing.

Earhart was attempting to become the first woman to fly around the world when she disappeared. Trump noted she had completed nearly three quarters of the journey before vanishing "without notice".