Air Asia Plane Carrying 162 People from Indonesia to Singapore Reported Missing · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

An Air Asia Airbus A320-200 (PK-AZI) at Singapore Changi International airport on February 9, 2014. Photo by Flickr user Uwe Schwarzbach. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Air Asia has confirmed that it lost contact with flight QZ8501 which was on its way to Singapore from Surabaya in Indonesia. The plane was carrying 162 people: 155 passengers, 2 pilots and 5 cabin crew.
AirAsia Indonesia regrets to confirm that flight QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore has lost contact with air traffic control at 07:24hrs this morning.
The airline said that the missing plane requested to deviate from its flight plan before it lost contact:
The aircraft was on the submitted flight plan route and was requesting deviation due to enroute weather before communication with the aircraft was lost while it was still under the control of the Indonesian Air Traffic Control
Indonesian authorities are focusing on the Bangka Belitung islands off the east coast of South Sumatra to find the missing plane.
Air Asia changed the color of its Facebook logo after it announced that one of its planes went missing.
Here are other updates from the Twitter hashtag #QZ8501
Indonesian search & rescue team said the last known position of @AirAsia flight #QZ8501 was over the Gulf of Kumai. pic.twitter.com/OPb3sywPkN
— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) December 28, 2014
Airport staff holds up a sign at Changi's T2 to direct family members & friends seeking info on @AirAsia #QZ8501. pic.twitter.com/m6gM8JcdMJ
— The Straits Times (@STcom) December 28, 2014
PRAY FOR #QZ8501 pic.twitter.com/czaqIR0siU
— Kata Bijak & Nasihat (@NasihatSahabat) December 28, 2014
Malaysia Airlines, which lost two planes this year, also expressed its solidarity to Air Asia:
#staystrong @AirAsia – Our thoughts and prayers are with all family and friends of those on board QZ8501.
— Malaysia Airlines (@MAS) December 28, 2014
The prime minister of Singapore said his country will assist in locating the plane:
Called Pres @jokowi_do2 to offer help. Two RSAF C-130 search & locate aircrafts are on standby. Our ministers will follow up. – LHL #QZ8501
— Lee Hsien Loong (@leehsienloong) December 28, 2014
The head of Air Asia thanked all those who showed support for the missing flight QZ8501:
On my way to Surabaya where most of the passangers are from as with my Indonesian management. Providing information as we get it.
— Tony Fernandes (@tonyfernandes) December 28, 2014
Air Asia is a popular budget airline in Southeast Asia. It started operations in 1996 and has not yet experienced any fatal air crash.