AirAsia jet with 162 on board goes missing on way to Singapore

Delhi, Dec. 28 (NsNewsWire) — Before communication was lost with AirAsia Flight 8501, the aircraft requested to deviate from the planned flight route due to weather, the airline said in a statement.

The plane was still under Indonesian air traffic control as it headed toward Singapore, reports CNN.

Missing AirAsia Flight 8501 is carrying 162 people: 155 passengers, two pilots and five cabin crew members, the airline said in a statement.

On board are 157 from Indonesia, three South Koreans, one Malaysian and one Singaporean.

The search is on for AirAsia Flight 8501, which lost contact with air traffic control in Indonesia, the airline said Sunday.

Flight QZ 8501 from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore lost contact with air traffic control at 7:24 a.m. Sunday (7:24 p.m. Saturday ET), AirAsia said

“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,” AirAsia said in a statement.

The plane took off with 155 passengers and crew on board, the news agency Reuters reported, citing Indonesian transport officials. But the Associated Press, citing an Indonesian Transportation Ministry official, put the number of people at 162.

The flight, an Airbus A320-200, was on its way from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore, according to the airline’s website.

The plane left Juanda International Airport at 5:27 a.m. Sunday (5:27 p.m. Saturday ET) and was due to arrive in Singapore at 8:37 a.m. Sunday (7:37 p.m. ET), according to the website.

Bad weather might have been a factor in the plane’s disappearance, CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam said.