10 years since Malaysia flight MH370 vanished: Search suspended, here's why

It's only been a couple of weeks since Malaysia said they have resumed the search for the missing MH370 flight, which vanished in March 2014 while flying to China. Now, the country's transport minister says they have suspended the operation as it is 'not the season.' Apparently, the weather conditions are not favourable in the Southern Hemisphere now for deep-sea search operations, as rough seas, strong currents, limited visibility and inaccurate sonar mapping are possible in these circumstances. The search is expected to resume in a few months, after conditions improve. 

Last month, Reuters reported that Malaysia agreed to the terms and conditions of an agreement with exploration firm Ocean Infinity to resume the search for the wreckage of the missing flight. Flight MH370, a Boeing 777, was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew when it vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in 2014 in one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries.

The decision was supposed to enable seabed search operations in a new location estimated to cover 15,000 sq km (5,790 sq miles) in the southern Indian Ocean, based on a "no find, no fee" principle. Ocean Infinity was to receive $70 million if the wreckage was successfully located. In December, the government said it had agreed in principle with Ocean Infinity's proposal to resume the hunt for MH370. The firm had conducted the last search for the plane that ended in 2018 but failed on two attempts.

Those followed an underwater search by Malaysia, Australia, and China in a 120,000 sq km (46,332 sq mile) area of the southern Indian Ocean based on data of automatic connections between an Inmarsat satellite and the plane. Ship tracking data showed that a ship that would look for the missing plane was deployed to its Indian Ocean search zone late last month, even though a deal had yet to be signed with the government.