The CEO of AirAsia Tony Fernandes said Thursday he was hopeful that an object detected by sonar on the seabed was the wreckage of Flight QZ8501. Indonesian officials have been unable to inspect the object lying in 100-165 feet off water off Borno because of bad weather. After bodies and debris was recovered from the water this week, authorities believe it is likely the Airbus A320-200 that disappeared from radar Sunday while flying from Indonesia to Singapore.
Fernandes has placed himself at the heart of the operation to find the jet, with emotive statements and frequent posts on social media. "I am hoping that the latest information is correct and aircraft has been found." he said via his Twitter account early Thursday. "Please all hope together. This is so important." He called the recovery process "heartbreaking soul destroying."