The next stage includes the experts confirmation that the fragment corresponds to the flight QZ8501.

The AirAsia flight QZ8501, flying to Singapore from Surabaya, Indonesia, lost contact with air traffic control on December 28. There were 155 passengers and 7 crew members on board the aircraft.

Immediately afterwards, a search and rescue operation including dozens of ships and planes, was put into place.
Along 2014, Malaysian airlines lost three air crafts, two of them due to apparent accidents and another due to a missile impact.