JAKARTA, Indonesia—An AirAsia plane with 162 passengers and crew lost contact with air traffic control Sunday on a flight from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore, as it was climbing to a higher altitude to avoid clouds, officials said.
According to the flight manifest, the plane had 155 passengers, including one infant, and seven crew members aboard.
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AirAsia Indonesia confirmed on its Facebook page that contact was lost with flight QZ8501 at 7:24 a.m. local time.
“At the present time we unfortunately have no further information regarding the status of the passengers and crew members on board, but we will keep all parties informed as more information becomes available,” the airline said on Facebook.
“Search and rescue operations are in progress and AirAsia is cooperating fully and assisting the rescue service,” it said.
The aircraft was an Airbus A320-200, the airline added.
A flight arrival information signboard shows the status of AirAsia flight QZ 8501 from Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore at Changi Airport in Singapore on Sunday. ENLARGE
A flight arrival information signboard shows the status of AirAsia flight QZ 8501 from Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore at Changi Airport in Singapore on Sunday. EDGAR SU/REUTERS
Airbus said on Twitter: “We have been informed of an event and all efforts are now going towards assessing the situation.”
Ignatius Bambang Tjahjono, president of state-owned AirNav Indonesia, which provides air navigation services, said the plane took off at 5:32 a.m. local time (Western Indonesia time). He said it was cruising at 32,000 feet and at 6:12 a.m., it contacted traffic control at Jakarta’s airport to say it was moving left from the flight path and rising to 38,000 feet to avoid a cloud. At 6:16 a.m. the plane was still appearing on the radar, he said. At 6:18 a.m. it disappeared from radar.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said in a statement that Flight QZ8501 was scheduled to arrive in Singapore at 08:30 local time. It also said that search and rescue operations have been activated by the Indonesian authorities and that Singapore has offered to help.
Local television broadcasts news about the missing plane. ENLARGE
Local television broadcasts news about the missing plane. ZUMA PRESS
“Two C130s are already on standby for this purpose. We remain ready to provide any assistance to support the search and rescue effort,” the statement said. A waiting area has been set up for relatives and friends of the affected passengers at Changi Airport Terminal 2.
The Airbus Group NV A320 operated by AirAsia is a modern and reliable workhorse and is the sole aircraft type operated by the low-cost airline and its associate operations which are based in several southeast Asian nations, including Indonesia. AirAsia is one of the largest operators of the type in the world and holds orders for hundreds more jets from Airbus. The carrier operates its A320s in a single-class arrangement with 180 seats, the maximum allowed.
Source : WSJ
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