Airline CEO on Flight 370: 'Probably Control Was Taken of That Airplane,' It May Not Be in Indian Ocean

Tim Clark, CEO of Emirates Airlines, has a couple of theories about doomed Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared in March.

First off, Clark — whose airline is the largest operator of 777s, Flight Club noted — has said Flight 370 might not be in the Indian Ocean at all.

In a recent interview with German newspaper Der Speigel, Clark said the flight "theoretically, ended up in the Indian Ocean" yet searchers "still haven't found a trace, not even a seat cushion."

Map for search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in the southern Indian Ocean. (Image source: AP/The Australian Transport Safety Bureau)

Clark added: "Our experience tells us that in water incidents, where the aircraft has gone down, there is always something. We have not seen a single thing that suggests categorically that this aircraft is where they say it is..."

As for why Flight 370 veered off course and disappeared, Clark told Der Speigel that "probably control was taken of that airplane."

"It's anybody's guess who did what. We need to know who was on the plane in the detail that obviously some people do know. We need to know what was in the hold of the aircraft. And we need to continue to press all those who were involved in the analysis of what happened for more information. I do not subscribe to the view that the Boeing 777, which is one of the most advanced in the world and has the most advanced communication platforms, needs to be improved with the introduction of some kind of additional tracking system. MH 370 should never have been allowed to enter a non-trackable situation."

Clark also noted to the magazine that there "hasn't been one overwater incident in the history of civil aviation — apart from Amelia Earhart in 1939 — that has not been at least 5 or 10 percent trackable. But MH 370 has simply disappeared. For me, that raises a degree of suspicion."