Search for Missing AirAsia Jet Suspended for Night | WPN World People News

An aerial and maritime search around southern Borneo for a passenger jet with 162 people on board has been suspended for the night. The Airbus A320 disappeared Sunday morning, Asia time, on a flight from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore. Most of those on board were Indonesians.

Indonesia AirAsia flight 8501 departed Surabaya for Singapore's Changi airport on what should have been a two-hour flight over the Java Sea.

The director general of aviation for Indonesia's transportation ministry, Djoko Atmojio, told reporters that the last transmission from a crew member on the Airbus came at 6:12 a.m. local time (Sunday) and no distress signal was subsequently received.

He said the pilot stated that he was trying to avoid clouds and was moving left of the intended route and requested permission to climb (1800 meters higher).

A few minutes later the plane disappeared from radar and no contact was re-established.

There were thunderstorms with lightning reported in that vicinity, along with wind shears.

Indonesian authorities said the plane's last known position was about halfway along its course, off the island of Belitung, which in recent years has become a tourist destination but was long better known for its pepper and tin.

Indonesia's transport minister, Ignasius Jonan, said military and rescue teams from his country, as well as Singapore, initiated search operations.

He said all maritime vessels in the area have been asked to relay any information related to the missing plane and were advised to be prepared to render possible assistance.

The Java Sea is one of the world's busiest waterways and is relatively shallow.

On board: 149 Indonesian passengers (including 16 children). The flight manifest also lists three South Koreans (one of them an infant), a Malaysian and a British man traveling with his two-year-old Singaporean daughter.

The flight crew was composed of two pilots, four flight attendants and one engineer - all Indonesian citizens except for the French first officer, according to Air Asia.

The captain in command is described as quite experienced with more than 6,000 flying hours, and the first officer had nearly half that amount of time in the air.

The six-year-old aircraft had last undergone maintenance on November 16.

Indonesia AirAsia is 49 percent owned by Malaysia-based AirAsia. The low-cost AirAsia family of airlines, serving more than 100 destinations in 22 countries, has had a good safety reputation with no fatalities since beginning operations 18 years ago.

Company CEO Tony Fernandes wrote a string of social media posts in support of the airline's staff on Sunday.

"We will go through this terrible ordeal together," he said, adding that he was en route to Surabaya.

Malaysia Airlines, which saw its flight 370 disappear from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March, posted a message of support to Twitter on Sunday encouraging the loved ones of AirAsia's passengers to "stay strong." The plane was never found.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all family and friends of those on board [the flight]."

A White House spokesman said U.S. President Barack Obama was briefed about the missing plane and officials “will continue to monitor the situation.”

Source: Voice of America