Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia has temporarily suspended the latest search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, more than a decade after the plane mysteriously disappeared.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke confirmed that the search has been put on hold due to seasonal conditions, with operations expected to resume at the end of this year. Speaking at an event at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, he stated, "Right now, it's not the season," in a voice recording sent to AFP by his aide.

The Boeing 777, carrying 239 people, vanished from radar on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Despite the largest search operation in aviation history, the aircraft has never been found.

Renewed Search Efforts
Loke’s announcement comes just weeks after Malaysian authorities had stated that the search had resumed. Earlier attempts, including a three-year Australian-led operation covering 120,000 square kilometers of the Indian Ocean, had found only scattered debris.

In 2018, maritime exploration firm Ocean Infinity conducted an unsuccessful search before agreeing to launch a new mission this year on a "no find, no fee" basis—meaning Malaysia would only pay if the aircraft was found.

Loke noted that the most recent operation focused on a new 15,000-square-kilometer search zone in the southern Indian Ocean. However, he cautioned that finding the wreckage remains uncertain, stating, "Whether or not it will be found will be subject to the search, nobody can anticipate."

An Enduring Mystery
Flight MH370's disappearance remains one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history. The 2018 final investigation report cited failures in air traffic control and confirmed that the plane’s course had been manually altered. However, the report offered no conclusive explanation and did not rule out the possibility that an unknown individual had diverted the jet.

The tragedy has fueled widespread speculation, including theories that pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah deliberately crashed the plane.

Of the 239 passengers on board, the majority were Chinese nationals, along with others from Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, and other countries.

Families of the victims continue to demand answers, with Chinese relatives gathering in Beijing last month on the 11th anniversary of the disappearance, urging authorities to continue the search. Protesters held signs asking, "When will the 11 years of waiting and torment end?" while chanting, "Give us back our loved ones!"

With the search set to resume later this year, hope remains that one of aviation’s biggest unsolved mysteries might finally be answered.