The search resumed Monday for the missing Air Asia flight Q8501 from Indonesia with 162 passengers on board, as families turn to prayer for their loved ones who went missing along with the plane.
Indonesia’s Air Transportation Department on Sunday (December 28) said the search was still on for missing Air Asia flight Q8501 and that nothing had been found of the plane so far.
The plane lost contact with Indonesian air traffic controllers after the pilots asked permission to change course to avoid bad weather during the journey from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore.
“The plane reported to traffic air control and was identified by ATC officials, and the plane asked to take another route and not the main route and this was approved. They also asked to fly at 38,000 feet, this was not approved,” Air Transportation Department official Djoko Murdjatmodjosaid at the news conference in Jakarta.
The aircraft disappeared somewhere between the town of Tanjung Pandang in Bangka-Belitung province, and Pontianak in West Kalimantan province.
Indonesia’s air force was searching for the Airbus 320-200 carrying 162 passengers and crew.
Indonesia AirAsia said there were 155 passengers and seven crew on board. It said 156 were Indonesian, with three from South Korea and one each from Singapore, Malaysia and France.
“I heard many rumors from people and I said the rumors are not true that the plane has been found and wreckage has been found — this is not true. We have already formed a team with thenational rescue agency in the field and related department to give facts — the plane, not even wreckage has not yet been found,” said Head of National Commissino for Safety, Transportation,Tatang Kurniadi.
Singapore, Malaysia and Australia had offered to help in the search. Malaysia said it was sending vessels and a C130 aircraft while Singapore had also sent a C130, officials said.
The spokesperson of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency Mochamad Hernanto explained to reporters the details of the search operations for the missing Air Asia plane carrying 162 people from the Indonesian city of Surabaya.
“The rescue operation has not stopped. We suspended the search and rescue operation which starts in the morning and ends in the evening, so tomorrow we will continue to do it again.”
A crisis center is filling up fast in Indonesia.
Relatives of the missing Air Asia passengers gather in Surabaya, where the plane took off Sunday morning.
Yacob Tanubun, a grandfather whose grandchild was aboard the missing plane, says he’s anxious to learn more.
“We are very surprised and very sad. Our grandchild was going to Singapore for a holiday but the accident happened,” he said.
“You know, it’s a plane accident. I only ask God for a miracle. I hope not only my family will be saved but everyone on board,” he said.
The plane lost contact with air traffic control as it traveled from Surabaya to Singapore.
Officials say the pilots had requested to change altitude to avoid clouds.
Air Asia chief executive Tony Fernandes, meanwhile assured the relatives that the Indonesian authorities are “doing their best in the search and rescue.”
“We don’t want to speculate any more right now. Of course the plane has been missing for twelve hours and there’s a acute sense of pressure they get but they stay strong,” he said.
At the National Search and Rescue Agency in Jakarta, Vice President Jusuf Kalla says everything will be done to find the plane.
“The Indonesian government has ordered the National Search and Rescue Agency, Air Force, Navy and Army, as well as local governments, to mobilize every ability and piece of equipment in search of this plane, at sea and on land,” he said.
“Air Asia flight number QZ8501 with Airbus A320 en route from Surabaya to Singapore lost contact, which means it cannot be contacted by our air traffic control,” Air Transportation Department official Djoko Murdjatmodjo said at the news conference in Jakarta.
“National Search and Rescue is on a search mission looking for ELT signal transmission and theSea Transportation Department has already sent a navigation ship to the location where the contact was lost. Also the Air Transportation Department has sent a calibration plane to the same location,” he added.
Murdjatmodjo confirmed earlier comments that the aircraft had disappeared somewhere between the town of Tanjung Pandang in Bangka-Belitung province, and Pontianak in West Kalimantanprovince.
Indonesia’s air force was searching for the Airbus 320-200 carrying 162 passengers and crew that went missing on Sunday after the pilots asked to change course to avoid bad weather during a flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore.
Indonesia Asia has a fleet of 30 Airbus A320s. The missing plane has been in service for just over six years, according to airfleets.net.
All AirAsia-branded airlines operate aircraft made by Airbus, which has orders for several hundred planes from the group. AirAsia is considered one of the European planemaker’s most important customers. (with reports from Reuters)
