Indonesia AirAsia Flight QZ8501 goes missing with 162 people on board

[ScottishBiTeen]

AirAsia flight QZ8501 from Indonesia to Singapore missing

An AirAsia airliner flying from Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people on board has lost contact with air traffic control.

Flight QZ8501, an Airbus plane, went missing at 07:24 (23:24 GMT), Malaysia-based AirAsia tweeted.

Indonesian military planes are searching an area of the Java Sea.

AirAsia, a budget airline, has never lost a plane, but Malaysia's national carrier Malaysia Airlines has suffered two this year - flights MH370 and MH17.

The AirAsia plane disappeared about two hours into a three-hour flight.

It left the Indonesian city of Surabaya in eastern Java at 05:20 local time (21:20 GMT) and was due to arrive in Singapore at 08:30 (00:30 GMT).

The missing jet had requested a "deviation" from the flight path due to bad weather, the company said.

Indonesia's transport ministry said the pilot had asked permission to climb to 38,000 ft (11,000m) to avoid thick cloud. No distress call is reported to have been issued by the crew.

Emergency contact

There were 155 passengers on board, the company said in a statement:

• 138 adults, 16 children and one infant
• Two pilots and five cabin crew were also on board
• Most on board were Indonesian
• Six were from other countries: three South Koreans and one French, Malaysian and Singaporean.

AirAsia has set up an emergency line for family or friends of those who may be on board. The number is +622 129 850 801.

An official with the transport ministry, Hadi Mustofa, told local media the plane lost contact over the Java Sea, between the islands of Kalimantan and Java.

The company's chief executive, Tony Fernandes, tweeted: "Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. We must stay strong."

AirAsia Indonesia is an affiliate of the Malaysian company AirAsia, operating domestic flights round the Indonesian archipelago as well as international services to Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and Thailand.

AirAsia Indonesia was banned from flying to the European Union in 2007 due to safety concerns but this was lifted in July 2010.

The latest incident caps a tragic year for Malaysian aviation with the disappearance of one Malaysia Airlines plane and the apparent shooting down of another.

Flight MH370 disappeared on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March with 239 passengers and crew. The wreckage, thought to be in southern Indian Ocean, has still not been located.

MH17 was shot down over Ukraine in July, killing all 298 on board.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-30614627
My thoughts go out to the families of the missing passengers and crew. Praying that the worst hasn't happened.

 

[nycguydowntown]

so messed up--so sad---lots of children on board---here we go again.

 

[chrisrobin]

Thoughts and prayers go out to those on board, family and friends.

​

 

[Jason401]

​

 

[evanrick]

Anyone else find it fucked up that ukraine russian separatists were not held accountable for mh17

 

[Vitamin]

^Well, unless you can find a power willing to use force to extract them from the middle of a warzone, and deal with the fallout from Russia it wasn't feasible. Not saying I like it of course, but that's the way it is

 

[evanrick]

^Well, unless you can find a power willing to use force to extract them from the middle of a warzone, and deal with the fallout from Russia it wasn't feasible. Not saying I like it of course, but that's the way it is

seems the russian economy might be in a tailspin however....no pun intended.

 

[unloadonme]

The BBC is reporting that debris from the missing plane has been found.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-30630330

 

[unloadonme]

Sadly, it seems that bodies are also being found now.

 

[Willie Boy]

At least there is closure. Better than hearing nothing, but not by much.

 

[star-warrior]

Sadly, it seems that bodies are also being found now.

Showing footage of the floating bodies to the victim's families in the live broadcast was a terrible blunder by the newscorps.

 

[Vitamin]

seems the russian economy might be in a tailspin however....no pun intended.

When is not?

 

[chrisrobin]

Showing footage of the floating bodies to the victim's families in the live broadcast was a terrible blunder by the newscorps.

How sad. I was hoping the plane would have had a soft landing, but it wasn't meant to be. By the way, the papparazzi usually are not known for good taste. Out of respect for the survivors, the cameras should have been shut off.

Dedication to the crash victims and their survivors: