Search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight suspended until the end of the year, official says

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The search for the wreckage of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in the southern Indian Ocean has been suspended due to poor weather conditions and will only resume at the end of the year, Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook said Thursday.

Flight 370, a Boeing 777, was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members when it vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in 2014, in one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries.

The minister, quoted by state news agency Bernama, did not say why such a prolonged delay was required. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is now autumn and poor wintry conditions are then expected to predominate for several months.

The U.S. exploration company charged with searching for the wreckage of the plane, Ocean Infinity, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“I think right now it’s not the season. I think they (Ocean Infinity) have stopped the operation for the time being and will resume the search at the end of this year,” Transport Minister Loke was quoted by Bernama as saying.

Last month, Malaysia agreed to terms and conditions of an agreement with Ocean Infinity to resume the search for the plane in a new location estimated to cover about 5,790 square miles in the southern Indian Ocean.

The search is based on a “no find, no fee” principle, in which Ocean Infinity will receive $70 million only if the wreckage is successfully located.

Responding to news of the long delay, Kelvin Shim, whose wife was on the ill-fated flight, said he was not surprised as the weather in the Southern Hemisphere was changing.

“We have been waiting for more than 11 years, so this is just another few more months … I can still wait,” the 50-year-old said.