 "AirAsia flight with 162 people on board goes missing")
An AirAsia plane carrying 162 people went missing on Sunday, after the pilots asked to change course to avoid bad weather during a flight from Indonesia’s Surabaya to Singapore.
Indonesia AirAsia flight QZ8501, an Airbus 320-200, lost contact with Jakarta air traffic control at 6:17 am local time, officials said. “The aircraft was on the submitted flight plan route and was requesting deviation before communication was lost,” the airline said in a statement.
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Indonesia AirAsia is 49 percent owned by Malaysia-based budget carrier AirAsia, with local investors holding the rest. The AirAsia group, including affiliates in Thailand, the Philippines and India, has not had a crash since its Malaysian budget operations began in 2002.
The QZ8501 aircraft had been flying at 32,000 feet and had asked to fly at 38,000 feet to avoid clouds.
2014: YEAR OF AVIATION MISHAPS
The year has seen three major aviation mishaps — all, incidentally, involving Malaysian airlines
March 8: Malaysia Airlines’ MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappears with 239 people on board
July 17: Malaysia Airlines’ MH17, from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, with 298 people on board, crashes near Ukraine’s Donetsk after being shot down. All passengers and crew members killed
Dec 28: Surabaya-Singapore flight QZ8501 of Indonesia AirAsia, an associate of Malaysia’s AirAsia Berhad, goes missing with 162 on board. Search on
Indonesia AirAsia flight QZ8501, an Airbus 320-200, lost contact with Jakarta air traffic control at 6:17 am local time, officials said. “The aircraft was on the submitted flight plan route and was requesting deviation before communication was lost,” the airline said in a statement.
ALSO READ: Malaysia to help in search of AirAsia flight: Najib Razak
No distress signal had been sent, said Joko Muryo Atmodjo, air transportation director at Indonesia’s transport ministry.
Indonesia AirAsia said there were 155 passengers and seven crew members on board — 156 of them Indonesians, three from South Korea and one each from Singapore, Malaysia and France.
While Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and the US offered to help in the search, India put three ships and a maritime surveillance aircraft on standby. At the time of going to press, Indonesia had called off its search operation until first light.
Indonesia AirAsia said there were 155 passengers and seven crew members on board — 156 of them Indonesians, three from South Korea and one each from Singapore, Malaysia and France.
While Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and the US offered to help in the search, India put three ships and a maritime surveillance aircraft on standby. At the time of going to press, Indonesia had called off its search operation until first light.
ALSO READ: Missing Airbus puts focus on pilots training, flight tracking system
Indonesia AirAsia is 49 percent owned by Malaysia-based budget carrier AirAsia, with local investors holding the rest. The AirAsia group, including affiliates in Thailand, the Philippines and India, has not had a crash since its Malaysian budget operations began in 2002.
The QZ8501 aircraft had been flying at 32,000 feet and had asked to fly at 38,000 feet to avoid clouds.
2014: YEAR OF AVIATION MISHAPS
The year has seen three major aviation mishaps — all, incidentally, involving Malaysian airlines
March 8: Malaysia Airlines’ MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappears with 239 people on board
July 17: Malaysia Airlines’ MH17, from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, with 298 people on board, crashes near Ukraine’s Donetsk after being shot down. All passengers and crew members killed
Dec 28: Surabaya-Singapore flight QZ8501 of Indonesia AirAsia, an associate of Malaysia’s AirAsia Berhad, goes missing with 162 on board. Search on