AirAsia's 4th update on QZ8501
The following is AirAsia's latest press statement (as at 11.45pm, Dec 28) on behalf of AirAsia Indonesia, on AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501.
Earlier in Surabaya, the management of AirAsia along with the Governor of East Java, National Search and Rescue Agency of Republic of Indonesia (BASARNAS), Airport Authority of Indonesia, Airport Operator (Angkasa Pura I) met with the members of the families to update them on the latest developments and reconfirmed their commitment to providing assistance in every possible way.
Sunu Widyatmoko, CEO of AirAsia Indonesia said, "We are deeply shocked and saddened by this incident. We are cooperating with the relevant authorities to the fullest extent to determine the cause of this incident. In the meantime, our main priority is keeping the families of our passengers and colleagues informed on the latest developments."
"We will do everything possible to support them as the investigation continues and have already mobilized a support team to help take care of their immediate needs, including accommodation and travel arrangements. A briefing center has also been set up in Surabaya for the families."
Indonesia resumed at dawn Monday the search for an AirAsia plane that went missing in the Java Sea with 162 people on board, a search and rescue official said.
"We have resumed the search for the missing AirAsia plane at 6:00 am. We are heading to east Belitung island," Tatang Zainuddin, deputy operations chief of Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) told AFP.
The Airbus A320-200 disappeared en route from Surabaya in Indonesia's east Java to Singapore after the crew requested a change of flight plan due to stormy weather, in the third crisis for a Malaysian carrier this year.
TWO Singapore planes will set off early on Monday morning to assist with the continuing search for Flight QZ8501, the Indonesia AirAsia aircraft which has gone missing.
In a joint statement, the Singapore Transport Ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said the CAAS will also be sending an officer to the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency in Jakarta to help in the coordination of the search operations.
On Sunday morning, the Singapore Rescue Coordination Centre (SRCC) - managed by CAAS and supported by various agencies, including the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) - had offered assistance to BASARNAS, the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency.
The SRCC had offered planes and ships to assist in the search and received confirmation from the Indonesian authorities in the afternoon on the acceptance of the offer. The SRCC then launched a C130 aircraft for the search on Sunday.
