“They have stopped the operation for the time being. They will resume the search at the end of this year,” Loke said in a voice recording sent to AFP on Thursday by his aide.

The Boeing 777 carrying 239 people disappeared from radar screens on March 8, 2014, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Despite the largest search in aviation history, the plane has not been found.

Loke’s comments come just one month after authorities said the search had resumed, following earlier failed attempts that covered vast swathes of the Indian Ocean.

An initial Australia-led search covered 120,000 sq km in the Indian Ocean over three years, but found hardly any trace of the plane other than a few pieces of debris.

Maritime exploration firm Ocean Infinity, based in the UK and the US, led an unsuccessful hunt in 2018, before agreeing to launch a new search this year.

“Right now, it’s not the season,” Loke said in the recording, which was made during an event at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Wednesday.

“Whether or not it will be found will be subject to the search,” Loke said, referring to the wreckage of the plane.