PUTRAJAYA, March 15 ― Confirmation by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today that Malaysia Airlines MH370 flew on hours after it lost transmission gave a father whose son was onboard a glimmer of hope that the plane may have safely landed.

During a press conference today, Najib said data indicated the plane was deliberately piloted off course, which appeared to rule out a scenario of catastrophic failure involving the Beijing-bound plane carrying 239 people.

“I am thankful for the prime minister’s announcement, it is clear that the plane can be traced.

“And this shows the plane is in a good condition and I hope that the passengers are safe,” 60-year-old Selamat Omar told reporters here at the Everly Hotel here, where some of the passengers and crew members’ next-of-kin are housed since last week.

This afternoon, Najib said satellite data showed that the last communication between the plane and a satellite occurred at 8.11am, more than six hours after it fell off civilian radar.

The plane has been missing for more than a week ago, and is the subject of a massive search and rescue operation involving 14 countries that have sent out 43 ships and 58 aircraft.

“The search for this aircraft is not an easy task, the government and the whole world is helping including the American president, the Chinese president and our Asian neighbours, and this is the result of their efforts.

“I have high hopes now with the prime minister’s announcement, at least now we have more information,” Selamat said, speaking in Malay.

His son, 28-year-old aviation engineer Mohd Khairul Amri, boarded the flight to Beijing on an assignment.

“I hope that the plane will show up on the radar,” Mohd Khairul’s eight-year-old sister told The Malay Mail Online.

Meanwhile, another father, Zamani Zakaria, 56, said the new development was not enough and that he wants the plane found.

“I last spoke to my son on Friday morning and my son told me he will be back on Thursday.

“At least find it … every time we are being shown photos of operations and my wife is deeply saddened, as today, there wasn’t anything new,” said Zamani who has been in the hotel since Monday.

“So many questions are still hanging in the air with no answers”.

His son, Muhammad Razahan Zamani, 24, was on a honeymoon trip with his wife, Norliakmar Hamid, 33. They married a year ago.

A long-time friend to one of the passengers, David Lau, 43, was a little more hopeful.

“If it exploded, then we won’t have hope, but now we know it was intentionally [rerouted], at least we can still hope.

“Hopefully, hijacked but landed in one of the remote area on one of the islands,” he said when contacted.

He has known Yap Chee Meng, 39, for 14 years.

Yap was one of 20 FreeScale Semiconductor employees on the plane.