AirAsia Flight Disappears over Java Sea with 162 Onboard

At 11:24 p.m. GMT Saturday, 42 minutes after taking off from Juanda International Airport (SUB), AirAsia Indonesia Flight QZ8501 disappeared over the Java Sea amid reports of bad weather.

The Airbus A320-200 — carrying 155 passengers and 7 crew — was flying at cruising altitude, en route to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), when dense storm clouds were reported in the plane’s area. The pilot requested permission to climb from 32,000 feet to 38,000 feet, but the request was denied.

According to Indonesian Transport Ministry official Djoko Murjamodjo, as reported by BBC, the pilot’s request “could not be approved at that time due to traffic, there was a flight above, and 5 minutes later [QZ8501] disappeared from radar.” No distress call was issued prior to the plane’s disappearance.

QZ8501 was scheduled to arrive at SIN at 12:30 a.m. GMT Sunday. Immediately after the plane’s disappearance, an air and sea search was launched. Resources from Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia searched an area near Beliltung island — where the plane reportedly went missing — into the evening. Search and rescue efforts have suspended for the night and will resume Sunday morning.

Relatives of those onboard QZ8501 have gathered at SUB and SIN. AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes spoke with relatives and press gathered in SUB, stating:

We are very devastated by what’s happened, it’s unbelievable. Our concern right now is for the relatives and for the next of kin — there is nothing more important to us, for our crew’s family, and for the passengers’ families. We hope that the aircraft is found quickly, and we can find out the cause of what has happened.

AirAsia has issued a nationality breakdown of QZ8501’s passengers and crew, which goes as follows:

Nationalities of Passengers:

-1 Singaporean

-1 Malaysian

-1 U.K. National

-3 South Korean

-149 Indonesian

Nationalities of Crew:

-1 French

-6 Indonesian

AirAsia group has no previous fatal accidents involving its aircraft.

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[Photo: BBC]