AirAsia Flight From Indonesia is Missing, Airline Says

Bangkok: Indonesian authorities were searching for an AirAsia aircraft with 155 passengers onboard Sunday after air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane, the airline said.

The plane, Flight QZ8501, left the Indonesian city of Surabaya and was bound for Singapore, officials said.

Air traffic control lost contact with the Airbus A320-200 at 7:24 Sunday morning Singapore time, the airline said in a statement on its Facebook page. (AirAsia Mourns With Grey Logo After Plane Goes Missing)

"At this time, search-and-rescue operations are in progress, and AirAsia is cooperating fully and assisting the rescue service," the statement added. (Read: Singapore Activates Air Force, Navy for Search for Missing AirAsia Jet)

Singapore also activated its air force and navy to assist in the search, officials said.

AirAsia, a budget operation based in Malaysia, is one of the world's fastest-growing airlines.
(Flamboyant AirAsia Boss Confronts First Major Crisis With Missing Flight)

Contact with the plane was lost about 42 minutes after takeoff, Hadi Mustofa, an Indonesian transportation ministry official, told Indonesia's MetroTV, according to The Associated Press.

The airline said the plane had requested a "deviation" from its usual flight path because of expected weather.(Read: Missing AirAsia Flight Had Asked to Fly Higher to Avoid Cloud: Official)

The airline said in the statement that in addition to the 155 passengers on the plane - including 16 children and one infant - two pilots and five cabin crew members were onboard.

Of the nationalities on the plane, there were more than 150 Indonesians, three South Koreans, one Singaporean, one Malaysian and one French citizen, AirAsia said. (Britain Confirms One of Its Nationals on Missing AirAsia Jet)

Eric Schultz, a White House spokesman, said that President Barack Obama, who is vacationing in Hawaii, had been briefed on the search for the plane, and that "White House officials will continue to monitor the situation." (Read: Barack Obama Briefed on Missing AirAsia Flight 8501)

Flightradar24, a website that uses a global system of beacons to monitor air traffic, said the aircraft was flying at 32,000 feet over the Java Sea when the aircraft's signal was lost. The Java Sea separates the islands of Borneo and Java.

AirAsia competes with Malaysia Airlines, which lost contact with one of its flights, MH370, in March. That flight remains missing.

On Sunday, the Twitter account for Malaysia Airline posted a message: "#staystrong @AirAsia - Our thoughts and prayers are with all family and friends of those onboard QZ8501."