Marsh family statement

The family of Noel Marsh have asked Air New Zealand to issue the following statement on their behalf:

We are deeply saddened about the events of today, although still retain some hope that Noel will be found alive.

We wish to convey our thanks to family, friends and Air New Zealand for their support, and to the French search and rescue authorities for their determined efforts to locate survivors.

Noel relished the opportunity to travel to Europe to be involved in the acceptance process for the A320. He loves his job and as a family we are extremely proud of him.

We would request that media provide us with the space that we need at this difficult time and respect our wish not to provide any interviews.