Tony Fernandes: Missing Plane was Good to Fly  

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes is joining the search and rescue efforts to find AirAsia flight QZ8501 that went missing on Sunday morning while en route from Surabaya to Singapore. Speaking at a press conference last night, Fernandes said the budget airline will cooperate will all parties in the search for its missing plane.

"We will do all that is necessary, we will cooperate," he said at the Juanda Airport Crisis Center.  

However, Fernandes said he does not want to speculate over all sorts of possibilities. He said that flight QZ8501—piloted by Indonesian Captain Iriyanto—had gone through pre-flight procedures and was declared airworty.  

News of the missing plane has drawn thousands of support messages to Fernandes, who is renowned for pioneering Asia's first low-cost air travel. On Sunday, Fernandes said on Twitter that the flight's disappearance is his "worse nightmare."

AirAsia flight QZ8501 took off on Sunday morning from Surabaya to Singapore. It was about halfway to its destination when it suddenly vanished from radar. The plane was carrying 152 passengers, two pilots, and five cabin crew. 

The Indonesian government is leading a massive search and rescue operation for the missing Airbus, with help from Malaysia, Singapore and India. Meanwhile, Australia, South Korea and Britain have offered to pitch in too.

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