BREAKiNG – AirAsia Indonesia regrets to confirm that flight QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore has lost contact with air traffic control at 07:24hrs this morning.
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.
At Surabaya Airport in Indonesia from where AirAsia Flight QZ8501 took off on Sunday worried relatives were waiting for news of its fate.
The aircraft lost contact with traffic controllers after the pilots asked to fly higher to avoid bad weather.
There were at least 155 passengers and seven crew on board.
Most were Indonesian. The airline says there were also three South Koreans, and one each from Singapore and Malaysia.
Indonesian transport officials say the plane disappeared between the port town of Tanjung Pandan and Pontianak town on Borneo.
They said no distress signal was sent.
The airline and Indonesia’s air force are searching for the plane.
Singapore says it’s also mobilised its air force and navy to help.
The airline states, “The aircraft was an Airbus A320-200 with the registration number PK-AXC.
“At this time, search and rescue operations are in progress and AirAsia is cooperating fully and assisting the rescue service”.
AirAsia has established an Emergency Call Centre that is available for family or friends of those who may have been on board the aircraft. The number is: +622129850801.
AirAsia will release further information as soon as it becomes available. Updated information will also be posted on the AirAsia website, www.airasia.com.