AirAsia expressed solidarity with the families of those lost in the crash of Flight 8501 near the island of Borneo in its public statements issued on Tuesday.
Indonesian search and rescue officials confirmed Tuesday that bodies and debris found in the Karimata Strait were from the plane, which lost contact with air-traffic control on Sunday morning. More than 160 people were on-board.
AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes took responsibility for the incident at a press conference on Tuesday and apologized to the victims’ families.
"It is probably an airline CEO’s worst nightmare. After 13 years of flying millions of people, it is the worst feeling one could have, but we stay strong for the families out there to make sure we can look after them even after the incident," he said, according to video of the press event. "We want to keep in contact with [victims’ families] so we can provide the necessary support they may require."
The airline also posted a statement to its website, on which an update section had been set up, confirming the crash. It assigned a team of "care providers" to each family, the airline said. The carrier also published the release on its Facebook and Twitter pages.
[Updated statement] QZ8501 as of 30 December 2014 18:00PM (GMT+7) http://t.co/elTOlw367q
— AirAsia (@AirAsia) December 30, 2014
AirAsia also published an image of a black background with the hashtag #togetherwestand in white on its Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.
Since authorities lost contact with the plane on Sunday morning, the high-profile Fernandes has posted more than a dozen updates to his Twitter page on his whereabouts and the actions the company was taking.
I am rushing to Surabaya. Whatever we can do at Airasia we will be doing.
— Tony Fernandes (@tonyfernandes) December 30, 2014
My heart is filled with sadness for all the families involved in QZ 8501. On behalf of AirAsia my condolences ... http://t.co/OJGobL93cR
— Tony Fernandes (@tonyfernandes) December 30, 2014
An AirAsia representative could not be immediately reached for comment.
