Etihad Airways has launched its first Airbus A380 aircraft from London Heathrow to its Abu Dhabi hub incorporating the world’s most exclusive commercial airline seat, costing $20,000. Flight EY12 departed with a full complement of 498 passengers, with two in the Residence, nine in First, 70 in Business and 417 in Economy, on schedule.
Poor weather over the Java Sea has slowed efforts to retrieve bodies and debris from the crashed AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501. The AirAsia Airbus A320-200 came down on Sunday on route from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore carrying 162 people.A total of seven bodies have been pulled from the water so far, while parts of the wreckage of the plane have been located.
Alitalia and Etihad Airways, the Official Global Carriers of Expo Milano 2015, have announced tickets for the highly anticipated six-month event can be purchased through their websites and contact centres from today. A special early-bird promotion is also underway for Expo Milano 2015 attendees, with a generous discount of 20 per cent available on all tickets purchased before April 2015.
Indonesian officials have confirmed at least 40 bodies have been found in the ongoing search for missing AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501. Many have been recovered from the scene, with debris also sighted. The bodies were spotted in the Java Sea off the Indonesian part of Borneo.
The BE996 flight from Southhampton - which was expected to arrive at 6.05pm on Tuesday - landed safely at the airport at 5.54pm.
A spokesperson from George Best Belfast City Airport said: "Following a request from a Flybe pilot of an inbound Southampton flight, emergency procedures were enacted as a precautionary measure.
Indonesian officials have confirmed at least 40 bodies have been found in the ongoing search for missing AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501. Many have been recovered from the scene, with debris also sighted. The bodies were spotted in the Java Sea off the Indonesian part of Borneo.
A healthcare worker returning from west Africa has been diagnosed with the Ebola virus after arriving in the United Kingdom on a British Airways flight. The female patient arrived in Glasgow on BA 1478 on Sunday, following connections in London Heathrow and Casablanca in Morocco.
Dubai Airports maintained its growth trajectory in the second half of 2014 with passenger traffic at Dubai International rising 4.3 per cent in November, according to the latest traffic report issued by operator Dubai Airports. Passenger traffic in November 2014 totalled 5,565,509, up 4.3 per cent from the 5,337,544 passengers recorded in the same month in 2013.
Transaero Airlines, Russia’s second largest carrier, has expressed its “utmost gratitude” to financial authorities after receiving $170 million in debt guarantees from the government. In a statement the airline thanked the Russian ministry of finance, the transport ministry, the Federal Air Transport Agency, and the State Corporation Bank for Development for their financial support.
Brits are booking their travel on the go more than ever before as global travel search site Skyscanner reports a 152 per cent global increase in flight searches on handheld devices in the last year. One in five Brits have now booked flights on a mobile or tablet; the most common place to book flights when out of the home is work, with 20 per cent admitting to booking holidays while in the office, followed by in the pub and while out for dinner.
The second largest Omani city Salalah will see Qatar Airways adding four new services by next February. From December the airline is offering three flights per week, and from February 3rd 2015, another additional flight per week will be added. A total of eight flights per week make it even easier and more convenient for passengers to visit this vibrant tourist destination in the Sultanate of Oman.
A healthcare worker returning from west Africa has been diagnosed with the Ebola virus after arriving in the United Kingdom on a British Airways flight. The female patient arrived in Glasgow on BA 1478 on Sunday, following connections in London Heathrow and Casablanca in Morocco.
A Virgin Atlantic flight with 447 passengers and 15 crew has landed safely at London Gatwick Airport after discovering a potential problem with its landing gear. Flight VS43 had departed for Las Vegas earlier when it was forced to return to London. After circling over the Bristol Channel for several hours to burn off fuel, the plane made a safe, but bumpy, landing at London Gatwick.
Indonesian officials have confirmed at least 40 bodies have been found in the ongoing search for missing AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501. Many have been recovered from the scene, with debris also sighted. The bodies were spotted in the Java Sea off the Indonesian part of Borneo.
A widening search for missing AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501 is unlikely to locate survivors, with the head of the Indonesian rescue efforts suggesting the aircraft was likely at the bottom of the ocean. Bambang Soelistyo revealed his hypothesis based on the co-ordinates of the Airbus A320-200 when contact with it was lost.
Jakarta - Dozens of planes and ships
searching Indonesian waters for a missing
AirAsia plane focused on Monday on a patch
of oil for possible clues, as a senior official
warned the aircraft was likely at the bottom
of the sea.
Australia, Malaysia and Singapore joined the
Indonesia-led search as anguished relatives
awaited news of their loved ones more than
a day after Flight QZ8501 disappeared over
the Java Sea with 162 people on board.
"Papa come home, I still need Papa," Angela,
the daughter of the Indonesian pilot Irianto,
begged in an emotional appeal on local
social media.
The Airbus A320-200 lost contact en route
from Surabaya in Indonesia's east Java to
Singapore on Sunday after the crew
requested a change of flight plan due to
stormy weather, in the third crisis for a
Malaysian carrier this year.
Indonesian Air Force spokesperson Hadi
Tjahjanto told AFP the search was now
concentrated on an oil patch spotted off
Belitung Island, across from Kalimantan on
Borneo Island.
"We are making sure whether it was avtur
[aviation fuel] from the AirAsia plane or from
a vessel because that location is a shipping
line," he said.
As the second day's search ended at dusk,
National Search and Rescue Agency chief
Bambang Soelistyo said an Indonesian
corvette was on its way to collect an oil
sample, with an announcement expected on
Tuesday.
Soelistyo earlier said it was likely the plane
was at the "bottom of the sea".
The hypothesis is "based on the co-
ordinates given to us and evaluation that
the estimated crash position is in the sea",
he told journalists.
Ships and aircraft were searching an area
where the sea is 40-50m deep, he said,
adding that Indonesia was co-ordinating
with other countries to borrow any
equipment needed to scour the seabed.
Distraught relatives
Distraught relatives in Surabaya were
desperately hoping for news of loved ones
as the international search expanded.
Intan, 28, said Indonesia needed overseas
help to find the plane which was carrying
her brother and his family and friends.
"My hope is Indonesia seeks as much help
as possible from other countries. Don't
claim 'We have sophisticated technology',
just ask other countries because they are
better equipped," she told AFP, as Jakarta
welcomed offers of help from its neighbours.
"My prayer is I really, really hope that there
will be news about the people on board.
Whatever it is, what is important is we know
where they are now," she said.
While the international operation has drawn
comparisons with the ongoing search for
Malaysia Airlines MH370, Australian Prime
Minister Tony Abbot said it did not appear
to be a great mystery.
"It doesn't appear that there's any
particular mystery here," Abbott told Sydney
radio station 2GB.
"It's an aircraft that was flying a regular
route on a regular schedule, it struck what
appears to have been horrific weather, and
it's down. But this is not a mystery like the
MH370 disappearance and it's not an
atrocity like the MH17 shooting down."
China, which had 152 citizens on MH370,
said in a statement Monday that it would
send a navy frigate and a military jet to join
in the search.
The frigate, on a routine patrol in the South
China Sea, was en route to the area where
the plane went missing, and the air force
was coordinating with countries on the flight
route, the statement from the defence
ministry said.
Miraculous escape
One Indonesian family of 10 had a
miraculous escape when they arrived too
late to catch Flight QZ8501.
"Maybe it is all God's plan that my family
and I were not on the flight. It was a
blessing in disguise," said Christianawati,
36.
AirAsia said 155 of those on board were
Indonesian, with three South Koreans and
one person each from Singapore, Malaysia,
Britain and France. The Frenchman was the
co-pilot.
Air traffic controllers lost contact with the
twin-engine aircraft around an hour after it
left Surabaya's Juanda international airport
at about 05:35 on Sunday (22:35 GMT on
Saturday).
Shortly before the plane disappeared, the
pilot asked to ascend to avoid heavy clouds
but his request was turned down due to
another flight above him.
The missing plane was operated by AirAsia
Indonesia, a unit of Malaysian-based AirAsia
which dominates Southeast Asia's booming
low-cost airline market.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago with poor
roads and railways, has seen explosive
growth in low-cost air travel over recent
years.
But the air industry has been blighted by low
safety standards in an area that also
experiences extreme weather.
AirAsia, which has never suffered a fatal
accident, said the missing jet last underwent
maintenance on 16 November.
Its shares slumped 12% at the open but
recovered slightly to close 8.5% lower in
Kuala Lumpur.
The plane's disappearance comes at the end
of a disastrous year for Malaysian aviation.
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared
while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in
March with 239 passengers and crew, and in
July flight MH17 was shot down over
troubled Ukraine killin
JC Mac Farlane @Macfarlane123
It's been less than 48 hours since AirAsia flight QZ8501 went missing but the conspiracy theorists are already at it.
After MH370 and MH17 its the third Asian passenger plane to meet a bizarre and unexplained end.
This time there were 162 passengers on board the flight from Indonesia to Singapore when communications were lost.
The search has resumed today but so far there are no answers as to what happened.
Experts have put forward their own potential explanations while people on social media have not been shy about suggesting their own opinions, however unfounded.
Here we look at some of the potential theories and conspiracies that are currently doing the rounds about the Indonesia flight - some more outlandish than others.
1.The plane was hijacked remotely
Remote Hijack: The idea the plane was hijacked is one of the more conspiratorial theories for AirAsia Flight QZ8501
One theory that has popped up on reddit is that the plane was hijacked remotely.
The poster OB1 kenobi wrote: "Someone is testing their remote pilot override capabilities.
"Maybe at longer distances, or on an Airbus to see if they can takeover non-US built aircraft."
The same theory emerged after the disappearance of flight MH370.
2.Physical problem with the plane
Mechanical Failure: There could have been a physical problem with the plane, but experts say there isn't precedent with the model
There have been 26 crashes involving the A320 plane since it was introduced in 1988 - an average of one a year.
But aviation expert Gideon Ewers told Sky News all of those crashes were caused by other issues than problems with the plane.
3.Bad weather
Poor Weather: The last communication between QZ8501's pilot and air traffic control was when he requested to increase altitude due to bad weather
Before the plane disappeared, the pilot asked to increase altitude to avoid poor weather conditions.
And this time of year is tropical storm season in this time of year - the tsunami of ten years ago was on Boxing Day and the Philippines is regularly hit by major hurricanes.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot said he believed the plane had crashed as a result of "horrific" weather.
But aviation expert Captain Mike Vivian told Sky it was 'unlikely' that sudden weather was the cause - pilots flying in Asia are used to having to deal with them.
4.Economic terrorism
Economic Terrorism: One theory argues that three missing Asia planes is all part of a move to destabilise Asia's economy
Another conspiracy theory is that this and the other missing flight are part of an act of 'economic terrorism' against Asia.
The mysterious disappearance of flights inevitably has a knock on effect as many people become too scared to fly or simply think it's not worth the risk.
With three flights all having unfortunate or mysterious endings will only add to that preception.
5.Human error
Experienced Pilot: Human error is a possibility but AirAsia's Captain Irianto had thousands of hours experience
Pilot error is always a possible cause when a plane crash takes place - if that's what happened here.
But the pilot on this flight Captain Iriyanto had 20,000 hours of flying experience, it has been reported, and was used to flying the same short haul route.
Captain Iriyanto is said to be an experienced Air Force pilot who flew F-16 fighter jets before becoming a commercial airline pilot.
6.Icy conditions
Icy Conditions: One expert says ice is a more likely explanation than thunderstorms
Icy conditions could have caused the plane to stall and 'drop out of the sky', it has been claimed.
Pilot Ray Karam Singh told Sky News this was more likely than thunderstorms as an explanation if the plane did crash.
How can a passenger jet just disappear? That's what people are asking after Airasia Flight QZ8501 disappeared en route from Indonesia to Singapore. It's certainly not the first time a flight has met a mysterious end. Here's what happened to some other planes that disappeared or crashed amid strange circumstances: 1937: Amelia Earhart disappears during round-the-world flight It was her final challenge and one she wanted to undertake as she neared her 40th birthday: become the first woman to fly around the world. On July 2, Earhart took off with her navigator. The pair vanished over the Pacific Ocean. The United States gave up looking for the plane after spending millions of dollars to search hundreds of thousands of miles of ocean. 1945: The legend of the Bermuda Triangle is born Flight 19 was supposed to be a routine training exercise for five U.S. military torpedo bombers. The men completed their task with no problems and then, 90 minutes after taking off to head back to Ft. Lauderdale, the squadron commander reported that he was lost. Over the next three hours, the men were taken off-track and far out to sea, where it is believed they lost fuel and eventually crashed. This area -- a cone-shaped vicinity extending northward from Puerto Rico to about halfway up the U.S. Eastern Seaboard -- became infamously known as the "Bermuda Triangle." 1957: "Romance of the Skies" crashes over the Pacific The Boeing 377 was en route from San Francisco to Honolulu -- the first leg of a round-the-world journey -- when it crashed. All of the 44 people on board were killed. Investigators found "no probable cause" for the crash, but did find elevated levels of carbon monoxide in several of the recovered bodies. 1979: American Airlines Flight 191 falls out of the sky American Airlines Flight 191 was bound for Los Angeles when it took off from Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Less than a mile from the runway, the DC-10 jet fell out of the sky, killing all 271 people on board and an additional two people on the ground. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that shoddy maintenance eventually allowed for an engine to tear loose during takeoff and damage other vital systems on the aircraft. 1983: Korean Airlines 007 goes off track The 747 was en route from the United States to Seoul, South Korea, when it drifted off course and headed for Soviet territory. The plane, which was carrying 61 Americans, including Rep. Larry McDonald of Georgia, had been set on autopilot. But what pilots didn't know is that the autopilot had been set to fail as a result of what pilots now believe may have been pilot error. After deviating more than 200 miles off course, Soviet pilots shot down the airliner, killing 269 innocent people. It wasn't until nearly a decade later, when the Cold War ended, that Russia released a transcript of the cockpit voice recorder, which detailed the truth. 1996: Conspiracies swirl after TWA Flight 800 crashes The Boeing 747 was bound for Paris when it crashed into the Atlantic shortly after taking off from New York. All 230 people on board died in the explosion. The NTSB later blamed the blast on an electrical short circuit that found its way into the center wing fuel tank. Witnesses, however, say they saw something shoot up toward the plane before it crashed. But investigators have continued to stick to their findings, insisting even last year that a missile did not take down the jumbo jet. 1999: Learjet flies out of control Former PGA champion Payne Stewart was one of six who died on board his Learjet when it crashed into South Dakota farmland. The plane was intercepted by several other aircraft before it spiraled down to the ground. Pilots who observed the Learjet in the air said the front windshields seemed to be covered with frost or condensation. The NTSB ultimately determined that the cabin lost pressurization for "undetermined reasons," causing crew members (and the others) to become incapacitated from lack of oxygen. 1999: Officials point the finger at a pilot All 217 on board a Boeing 767 were killed when the plane, which was on its way from New York to Cairo, Egypt, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. The NTSB concluded that a pilot intentionally downed EgyptAir flight 990. Investigators said any possible mechanical failure was inconsistent with the downward trajectory of the plane. The cockpit voice recorder also captured the pilot sounding unsurprised when the plane started to go down and he kept saying "I rely on God" as they crashed. Egyptian officials, however, have pointed to supposed mechanical failures. 2009: It takes years to finally get an answer Air France Flight 447 was en route from Brazil to France when it plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 228 people on board. It took four searches over two years to find the bulk of the wreckage and the majority of the bodies, which were hidden in a mountain range deep under the ocean. French officials released a final report on the disaster in 2012, which blamed the crash on errors by pilots who failed to react effectively to technical problems. Ice crystals had blocked the plane's pitot tubes, which are used to determine air speed, according to the report. When the autopilot disconnected, the pilots didn't know how to respond, according to officials. 2014: 'All lives are lost' Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished March 8 with 239 people aboard en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Officials said, based on data analysis, the flight "ended" in the Indian Ocean.
AirAsia once boasted that its well-trained pilots would never lose a plane days after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared.
The budget carrier was forced into a humiliating apology and withdrew its in-flight magazine in which the article appeared last year.
The article sparked anger on social media after an AirAsia passenger posted a photograph of the text on Twitter last April, with some accusing the carrier of mocking the Malaysia Airlines tragedy.
In comments that will appear particularly distasteful in light of the disappearance of one of its own planes, the last paragraph read: 'Pilot training in AirAsia is continuous and very thorough.
'Rest assured that your captain is well prepared to ensure your plane will never get lost.'
At the time, AirAsia Executive Chairman Kamarudin Meranun expressed 'deep regret and remorse,' saying the latest issue of 'travel 3Sixty' magazine was printed before MH370 disappeared March 8 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.
Mr Kamarudin said the article was a monthly aviation column prepared well in advance by a retired pilot, who had worked for both AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines.
Weibo user warned travelers to avoid AirAsia in series of posts.
A mysterious user of the Chinese social media network Weibo apparently predicted the disappearance on AirAsia Flight QZ8501 almost two weeks before the plane went missing, urgently warning Chinese nationals not to use the airliner in dozens of posts.
The report, carried by the Epoch Times, relates the story of how the individual “repeatedly warned people away from Malaysia Airlines (and) AirAsia.”
“Do not become another victim of MH370,” warned the individual in a December 15 post, adding that AirAsia was about to be targeted by “powerful” forces which he referred to as the “black hand”.
“This is a life-saving message to Europe or the US tour, do not take AirAsia (or) Malaysia Airlines airliner,” states the translated version of one of the posts.
The user went on to assert that the “black hand” was out to “ruin AirAsia,” Malaysia’s second largest airline company. Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 went missing in March earlier this year, while MH17 was shot down over Ukraine in July.
The individual repeated his warning in subsequent posts made on the 16th and 17th of December, writing, “This is a major event in human life, we have to pay attention,” adding, “far from AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines away, cherish life.”
Speculation on the Reddit forum by Chinese users suggests that the posts may have originally been made on the 15th but then later edited with the prediction about AirAsia added after the disappearance of Flight QZ8501.
The user made a total of 39 posts on the subject which were viewed by 650,000 people. After flight QZ8501 disappeared, users returned to the threads to express amazement at the individual’s prediction, speculating that he was an “insider” of some kind or connected to the Malaysian or Chinese government.
Investigators are still hunting for the wreckage of the AirAsia flight, which had 162 passengers on board when it disappeared during a flight from Surabaya to Singapore, with the head of Indonesia’s search-and-rescue team asserting that the plane is likely to be at the bottom of the sea.
No Chinese nationals were on Flight QZ8501 when it went missing.
A separate report carried by Russian news outlet Sputnik claims that “a relative of a missing passenger received a text message from an unknown sender, stating that the plane made an emergency landing and all passengers were alive,” although this was never subsequently confirmed.
Unidentified objects discovered in the Java Sea by an Australian AP-3C Orion patrol aircraft are not likely to be wreckage from the AirAsia Flight.
Air New Zealand has appointed Kathryn Robertson to the role of general manager UK & Europe. Robertson has a wealth of market knowledge and industry experience, first joining the Air New Zealand team in 2007 as marketing manager UK & Europe.
A widening search for missing AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501 is unlikely to locate survivors, with the head of the Indonesian rescue efforts suggesting the aircraft was likely at the bottom of the ocean. Bambang Soelistyo revealed his hypothesis based on the co-ordinates of the Airbus A320-200 when contact with it was lost.
Boeing and Jetlines have announced an order for five 737 MAX 7s as the new Canadian ultra-low cost carrier builds its future fleet. The order, valued at $438 million at current list prices, includes purchase rights for an additional 16 737 MAXs.
An AirAsia Indonesia which was carrying 162 people has gone missing after the pilot requested permission to change course due to enroute weather on Sunday morning, according to reports.
JetBlue Airways is adding three more non-stop routes from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, all to Florida. New flights will carry passengers to Fort Myers, Jacksonville, and West Palm Beach. Service to Jacksonville is twice daily, while Fort Myers and West Palm Beach will enjoy daily service.
Etihad Airways has celebrated the departure of its inaugural Airbus A380 flight at Abu Dhabi International Airport. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the departure gate as part of the festivities, attended on behalf of Etihad Airways by Richard Hill, chief operations officer with the carrier. The event, which took place before Flight EY11 took-off to London Heathrow at 02:35, was also attended by Ahmad Al Haddabi, Abu Dhabi Airports chief operations officer.
Ryanair has launched its new United States website making it easier for US customers to book flights. Thousands of American customers explore Europe every year on Ryanair’s low fares with London, Dublin, Barcelona, Rome and Paris the top five destinations for US customers, with the most visitors coming from California, New York, Texas, Florida and New Jersey.
The world’s first in-flight butler will be a woman from Merseyside who will take to the skies tomorrow on board Etihad Airways’ first superjumbo A380 journey from its Abu Dhabi base to London’s Heathrow airport.
Sunday after
takeoff from the Juanda International
Airport in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia,
the airline said on its Facebook page.
The aircraft was on its submitted flight
plan route and the pilot asked for
permission from air controllers to fly at a
higher altitude due to weather,
Bloomberg.com cited Indonesian officials
as saying .
It had been flying at an altitude of 9,753
meters (32,000 feet). The pilot asked to
climb to 11,582 meters (38,000 feet).
Air controllers refused the request to go
to a higher altitude because of another
plane at that altitude but did allow a turn
to the left, an Indonesia government
official told Kompas, an Indonesia
newspaper.
There were thunderstorms along the
flight path, AccuWeather.com
Meteorologist Dave Samuhel said.
"It's very active this time of year.
December and January are the wettest
times of the year in Indonesia," Samuhel
said.
The storms in the area were capable of
producing severe turbulence, strong wind
shear, frequent lightning and icing,
AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist
Alex Sosnowski said.
There were thunderstorms along the
flight path of the AirAsia flight that went
missing en route to Singapore on
Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014.
Wind shear is a rapid change in wind
direction and speed over a short
distance.
"It is for these reasons that pilots may
request permission to deviate from their
flightpath by going around or above the
weather," Sosnowski said.
Search and rescue crews from Indonesia,
Singapore and Malaysia were searching
for the aircraft on Monday after the
search was suspended late Sunday due
to darkness and more thunderstorms in
the region.
Indonesia accepted Singapore's offer of
two teams of specialists and two sets of
underwater locator beacon detectors to
assist in locating the flight data recorders
of the missing aircraft, the Civil Aviation
Authority of Singapore said on its
Facebook page .
Thunderstorms will continue to be
scattered across the original flight path
through the middle of the week,
Sosnowski said.
The aircraft was an Airbus A320-200 with
162 people on board, AirAsia said in a
statement.
The aircraft was delivered to AirAsia from
the production line in October 2008,
Airbus said in a statement . It had about
23,000 flight hours in nearly 13,600
flights.
@Lynette_69520 : @Macfarlane123 #AirAsia #QZ8501 #QZ8501Missing I wonder how this happend,because,this is not the1st plane thatWent missing thisYear #Strange
@Macfarlane123: @lynette_69520 It is very strange! And other plan have not yet been found.9Months ago Malasiyan plane Vanished.Other plane shot down etc...
Missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 may have been
found as Indonesian search crews believe they
located the site where the flight and its 162
passengers and crew crashed in the ocean.
The flight lost contact with Indonesian air traffic
control while en route to Singapore on Sunday.
The pilots had asked to change course to avoid
some bad weather, but the plane never sent a
distress signal before being lost to radar. The
flight had 162 people on board, including 155
passengers and seven crew members.
As the search widened on Sunday, reports began
circulating that crash site for AirAsia flight
QZ8501 had been found near East Belitung.
“We received information from Basarnas in
Jakarta that contact had been lost with an
AirAsia flight over Bangka Belitung waters at 6:17
a.m. local time. We then dispatched a vessel with
a search and rescue team of 22 members to
check the information,” Febi Imam Saputra, an
information official at Basarnas Bangka Belitung,
said as quoted by Antara news agency in
Pangkalpinang on Sunday.
Saputra added that the flight went missing at
03.22.46 South and 108.50.07 East.
“If we look at the map, these coordinates refer to
an area around 20 nautical miles from East
Belitung,” said Febi.
But officials in Malaysia debunked the reports,
saying that AirAsia flight QZ8501 remains
missing.
“Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai has
dismissed claims that flight QZ8501 has been
found,” ChannelNewsAsia reported.
The search for missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 has
widened, with several countries joining in to
locate the missing plane. Merdeka.com reported
that Jakarta deployed seven ships and a
helicopter for the search and locate operations.
Singapore has also deployed one C-130 plane, the
Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said in a
statement.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Though there was bad weather on the plane’s
route from Indonesia to Singapore including
lightning strikes, one pilot with experience in the
region said that should not have taken the plane
down.
“Lightning cannot take out a plane,” pilot Elmo
Jayawardena told ChannelNewsAsia.
As reports that AirAsia flight QZ8501 had been
found still circulated, the Indonesian navy said
that no wreckage was yet found , adding that
visibility in the search zone was very narrow.
The missing AirAsia jet probably
crashed into the sea, Indonesia's top rescue
official said Monday, citing radar data from the
plane's last contact.
"Our early conjecture is that the plane is in the
bottom of the sea," Bambang Sulistyo, head of
Indonesia's national search and rescue agency,
told reporters, saying the view was based on the
plane's flight track and last known coordinates.
But searchers still don't know exactly where the
aircraft is, he said, and may need help from other
countries for an underwater search.
The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 resumed on
Monday, a day after the commercial jet
disappeared in Indonesian airspace with 162
people aboard.
Ships, planes and helicopters are looking for the
missing aircraft, according to Indonesian
authorities, who are leading the search and
rescue operations.
It's unclear if weather played a role in
the aircraft's disappearance, but
rescuers say it could be a factor that
influences how quickly they find the
plane.
Large waves and clouds hampered the
search for the plane on Sunday, the
agency said. By Monday morning,
weather in the area appeared to be
clearing up, CNN International
meteorologist Tom Sater said.
Authorities say they're combing a
"very broad search area."
What role did weather play?
Report: Higher altitude request denied
AirAsia says air traffic controllers lost contact
with the aircraft at 7:24 a.m. Sunday Singapore
time (6:24 a.m. in Indonesia).
The plane, flying from the Indonesian city of
Surabaya to Singapore, went missing as it flew
over the Java Sea between the islands of Belitung
and Borneo -- a heavily traveled shipping channel
with shallow waters -- Indonesian authorities
said.
Before the plane, an Airbus A320-200 , lost contact
with air traffic controllers, one of the pilots asked
to change course and fly at a higher altitude
because of bad weather, officials said. Heavy
thunderstorms were reported in the area at the
time.
Air traffic control approved the pilot's request to
turn left but denied permission for the plane to
climb to 38,000 feet from 32,000 feet, Djoko
Murjatmodjo, an aviation official at the Indonesian
Transport Ministry told the national newspaper
Kompas.
The increased altitude request was
denied because there was another
plane flying at that height, he said.
In addition to Indonesia's teams,
several other countries have joined the
hunt for the missing plane.
A C-130 plane from Singapore has
been participating in the search, and
the country's military says it's
sending two more ships to the search
area. Malaysia's transportation
minister said his country has deployed
three vessels and three aircraft to
assist in the search. And the Royal
Australian Air Force said Monday that it was
deploying a patrol plane to help.
The U.S. Navy Seventh Fleet said it stands ready
to assist the search efforts but so far hasn't been
asked to help.
Indonesia has reached out to the United Kingdom,
France and the United States for help with sonar
technology that may be needed for an underwater
search, Sulistyo told reporters Monday.
AirAsia CEO takes to Twitter
Anxious wait for relatives
After hours of waiting in anguish for any word
about the passengers aboard the missing plane,
several dozen of their family members met with
airport and airline officials in a closed-door
briefing Monday at the airport in Surabaya.
As they waited for news, some relatives took cell
phone pictures of a flight manifest posted on a
wall. The black-and-white papers showed every
passenger's name and seat number, but not their
fate.
Others simply sat and dabbed tears from their
eyes.
Oei Endang Sulsilowati and her daughter were
looking for information about her brother, his wife
and their two children.
"We don't know what to do," Sulsilowati said.
"We are just waiting for news."
"Our concern right now is for the relatives and the
next of kin," AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes said
during a news conference in Surabaya.
Fernandes confirmed that storm
clouds caused the pilot to ask for a
change in flight plan, but added, "We
don't want to speculate whether
weather was a factor. We really don't
know." Once the aircraft is found,
there will be a proper investigation, he
said.
Of the people on board the passenger
jet, 155 are Indonesian, three are
South Korean, one is British, one is
French, one is Malaysian and one is
Singaporean, the airline said.
Eighteen children, including one infant,
are among the passengers, the carrier said.
Seven of the people on board are crew members.
Families of AirAsia flight passengers given
support through the 'nightmare'
The MH370 mystery
AirAsia, a successful budget airline group
headquartered in Malaysia, had a clean safety
record until the disappearance of Flight 8501. The
missing plane is operated by the company's
Indonesian affiliate.
The loss of contact with the plane comes nearly
10 months after the disappearance of Malaysia
Airlines Flight 370, which dropped off radar over
Southeast Asia on March 8 with 239 people on
board.
Searchers have yet to find any remains of Flight
370, which officials believe went down in the
southern Indian Ocean after mysteriously flying
thousands of kilometers away from its planned
route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
But some aviation experts don't think the search
for Flight 8501 will be as challenging as the hunt
for MH370.
"We are not talking about the deep Indian Ocean
here," CNN aviation correspondent Richard Quest
said. "We are talking about congested airspace
around Southeast Asia. There will be much better
radar coverage. There's certainly better air traffic
control coverage."
AirAsia and MH370 cases are very different
But leading aviation experts have warned that there is a slim chance of finding any survivors, due to the period of time that had already passed since the last contact was made with the plane, and the weather conditions in the area.
David Learmount, Flight Global’s operations and safety editor, said it was “routine” for pilots to request diversions when approaching stormy conditions, as was the case with the Airbus A320-200.
He said: “We’re not just talking about thunder and lightning here.
”Storms can be very, very powerful indeed and rip a medium-sized aeroplane completely apart, that’s why a pilot will routinely ask to divert around them.
“The plane could not still be airborne – it was a short-haul flight, there would be no fuel for staying in the air for quite as long as this.”
Mr Learmount, who is a pilot, also ruled out the likelihood of passengers surviving a sea landing.
He added: “The pilots were talking to air traffic control right until the last minute.
”Something distracted their attention so they were no longer able to keep talking. We don’t know what happened at the moment, and it doesn’t appear to be a deliberate act.
“We can speculate ad infinitum when the only thing we can go on is that it is missing.
”But I think the prognosis is not good.“
However, William Waldock, an expert on air crash search and rescue with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, said people must “reserve judgement” until the circumstances around the plane’s disappearance are understood.
“I think we have to let this play out. Hopefully the airplane will get found, and if that happens, it will probably be in the next few hours,” he said on Sunday. “Until then, we have to reserve judgement.”
The air search was halted at 5.30pm local time due to poor visibility. Some ships are continuing the search overnight.
The Airbus A320 is a workhorse of modern aviation. The A320 family of jets, which includes A319 and A321, has a very good safety record, with just 0.14 fatal accidents per million take-offs, according to a safety study published by Boeing in August.
Q: What could have happened?
A: It is way too early to know for sure, but here
are some options. The plane was in the safest
part of flight: Just 10 percent of fatal crashes
from 2004 through 2013 occurred while a plane
was at cruise elevation, according to a safety
study published by Boeing in August.
Passing through bad weather such as severe
thunderstorms could have been a factor. Airbus
jets have sophisticated computers that
automatically adjust to wind shears or other
weather disruptions. But weather — combined
with pilot errors — has played a role in past air
disasters that occurred at cruise elevation,
including the 2009 Air France Flight 447 crash
over the Atlantic Ocean.
Another possibility is some type of catastrophic
metal fatigue caused by the cycle of
pressurization and depressurization associated
with each takeoff and landing cycle. This A320
had had 13,600 takeoffs and landings. Many
occurred in humid climate, which speeds
corrosion. Still, metal fatigue is unlikely because
this plane is only 6 years old.
Finally, there's the possibility of terrorism or a
mass murder by the pilot. There's no evidence
of either action, but neither can yet be ruled
out.
Q: What did the pilots say to air traffic
controllers?
A: The last communication between the pilot
and air traffic control was at 6:13am on Sunday
when the pilot "asked to avoid clouds by
turning left and going higher to 34,000 feet
(10,360 meters)." The last radar contact
occurred three minutes later. There was no
distress call. But pilots are trained to focus first
on the emergency at hand and then
communicate only when free.
Q: Isn't this the third Malaysian jet to crash
this year?
A: Sort of. Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
disappeared with 239 people aboard soon after
takeoff from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing on March
8. Its whereabouts and what happened remain
one of the biggest mysteries in commercial
aviation. Another Malaysia Airlines flight, also a
Boeing 777, was shot down over rebel-
controlled eastern Ukraine while en route from
Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17. All 298
people aboard were killed. AirAsia is also based
in Malaysia. But Flight 8501 was operated by
AirAsia Indonesia, a subsidiary that's 49 percent
owned by the Malaysian parent company. So
technically, it's an Indonesian airline. But the
AirAsia brand is closely tied to the people of
Malaysia.
Q: Is there a connection among all these
crashes?
A: No. It's just a very unfortunate year for
Southeast Asia. But that doesn't stop
conspiracy theories from sprouting. Ideas about
what happened to Flight 370 — both logical and
bizarre — keep appearing. The unsolved nature
of that disappearance could generate more
attention for Flight 8501 and create a new
batch of hypotheses.
Q: How far could the jet have flown?
A: Looking at the flight's paperwork, the plane
had more than 18,000 pounds of jet fuel at
takeoff, enough to fly about more than 3 hours,
according to Phil Derner Jr, the founder of
aviation enthusiast website NYCAviation.com
and a flight dispatcher for a US airline. He notes
that that's less fuel than most flights tend to
carry from New York to Florida.
Q: What's next?
A: Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia are
conducting a search-and-rescue operation near
Belitung island in the Java Sea, the plane's last
known whereabouts. Assuming that the jet
didn't veer far off course, the searchers should
find wreckage, which can provide clues about
what happened. Investigators will also try to
recover the flight data and cockpit voice
recorders, which often have the most detailed
information about the plane's final moments.
Those so-called black boxes have homing
beacons that help searchers find them.
READ ALSO: India puts 3 ships, plane on
standby
Q: Is the Airbus A320 a safe jet?
A: The plane is a workhorse of modern aviation.
Similar to the Boeing 737, the single-aisle,
twin-engine jet is used to connect cities that
are between one and five hours apart.
Worldwide, 3,606 A320s are in operation,
according to Airbus, which also makes nearly
identical versions of the plane: The smaller
A318 and A319 and the stretched A321. An
additional 2,486 of those jets are flying. The
A320 family has a good safety record, with just
0.14 fatal accidents per million takeoffs,
according to the Boeing safety study.
Q: What about AirAsia?
A: Low-cost AirAsia has a strong presence in
most of Southeast Asia, and it recently
expanded into India. Though most of its flights
are just a few hours long, it has tried to expand
into long-distance flying through its sister
airline AirAsia X. None of its subsidiaries has
lost a plane before, and it has a generally good
safety record. But it does fly in a part of the
world where air travel has expanded faster than
the number of qualified pilots, mechanics and
air traffic controllers.
Q: What about flying in Indonesia?
A: The country has had a bumpy safety record.
In 2007, the crash rate and safety standards
were so bad that the European Union barred all
of Indonesia's airlines from flying into any of its
member countries. Than ban was lifted in 2009.
But Indonesia's main airline — fast-growing
Lion Air — is still banned by the EU.
Q: What's it like to fly through a thunderstorm
at 34,000 feet?
A: Planes flying through thunderstorms
experience severe turbulence, with the aircraft
moving up, down, sideways and rolling.
Anything not secured can float around in the
cabin, bouncing off things and people. Overhead
bins can open up, spilling contents. Airsickness
is common.
Q: What do pilots do to avoid thunderstorms?
A: If at all possible, airline pilots fly around
thunderstorms, even if it means going far out of
their way. Airliners like the A320 typically are
equipped with radar that provides highly
accurate weather information. Pilots can see a
thunderstorm forming from over 100 miles
away, giving them time to plot a way around
the storm cluster or to look for gaps to fly
through. It's usually not a problem for
commercial planes to go 100 or more miles out
of the way.
Q: How high can an A320 safely fly? and what
if it exceeds that limit?
A: The A320 is certified to fly up to 39,000 feet,
its maximum altitude before its rate of climb
begins to erode. The plane has an absolute
flight limit of 42,000 feet. But it can begin to
experience problems as low as 37,000 feet,
depending on temperature and weight, including
fuel, cargo and passengers. The plane's
computers should reveal the maximum altitude
at which the plane can fly at its current weight
and temperature. Planes that exceed their
maximum altitude may lose lift, causing an
aerodynamic stall. Or they can experience a
pressurization blowout, damaging the plane.
Q: How does a plane just fall off radar?
A: It's still unclear what traffic controllers saw
on their screens when the plane disappeared
from radar. Authorities haven't said whether
they lost only the secondary radar target, which
is created by the plane's transponder, or
whether the primary radar target, created by
energy reflected from the plane, was lost as
well. If a plane came apart in the air or suffered
a loss of electrical power, the secondary target
would be lost, but the primary target is often
still visible on radar. But if the plane were
descending at rate of over 6,000 feet a minute
— typical of a plane about to crash — the
primary target might be lost as well.
Q: How vital is air travel to the region?
A: For many people, it's the only option.
Indonesia is a sprawling archipelago of 250
million people. To get from one island to
another, the easiest way is to fly. As the
region's economy has grown, so have the
number of people flying. The International Air
Transport Association recently named Indonesia
as one of the world's five fastest-growing air
travel markets, predicting an additional 183
million passengers would take to the sky within
two decades.
Routes to, from and within the Asia-Pacific
region are predicted by the industry trade group
to see an extra 1.8 billion annual passengers by
2034, for an overall market size of 2.9 billion.
Within two decades, the region is expected to
account for 42 percent of global passenger
traffic.
The increase in regional airline traffic reflects
rapid economic growth. The International
Monetary Fund expects the Southeast Asian
economies of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines,
Thailand and Vietnam to grow faster this year
and next than anywhere except China, India and
sub-Saharan Africa.
AirAsia's flight AK6242 en route from Penang to Langkawi has made an emergency landing due to technical problems, the Malaysian New Strait Times newspaper said on Twitter.
NEW DELHI: India has put on standby three ships
and a maritime surveillance aircraft for assistance
in the search operation after an AirAsia flight with
162 people on board today went missing en route
from Indonesia to Singapore after losing contact
with air traffic controllers.
Indian Navy sources said one ship in Bay of
Bengal and another two in Andaman Sea have
been put on standby.
Along with these, a P-8I aircraft has also been
put on standby. The aircraft is used for maritime
reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare
operations.
"The assets have been put on standby in view of
the gravity of situation. They will be rushed into
service as and when any order is issued," the
sources said.
A Singaporean transport official said Flight
QZ8501 lost contact with Jakarta Air Traffic
Control just after 07:24 hours local time.
The aircraft was in the Indonesian Flight
Information Region (FIR), more than 200 nautical
miles southeast of the Singapore-Jakarta FIR
boundary, when contact was lost, Civil Aviation
Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said.
Contact with the plane was lost 42 minutes after
takeoff. No Indian national was on board.
AFP reports that the search for missing flight QZ 8501 has been suspended for the night, citing an Indonesian minister.
Transport Minister: "We ended at 1730 (1030 GMT) because it was getting dark. The weather was also not too good as it was getting really cloudy."
"Tomorrow we will begin at 7 am, or even earlier than that if the weather is good," he added.
Search and rescue operations are underway for an AirAsia plane that lost contact with air traffic control after takeoff from Indonesia on a flight to Singapore, the Singapore Civil Aviation Authority reports. As many as 162 were on board. The plane lost contact about an hour before it was due to arrive in Singapore. It was scheduled to land at 8:30 a.m. Singapore time (7:30 p.m. ET Saturday), Hadi Mustofa, an official with the Indonesian air ministry, said on Indonesia's MetroTV. Mustofa added that the plane had asked to change its flight path due to weather conditions just before losing contact with air traffic controllers, NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports. AirAsia reports on its Facebook page, "AirAsia Indonesia regrets to confirm that flight QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore has lost contact with air traffic control at 07:24hrs this morning." The plane, flight QZ8501 from Surabaya, Indonesia, was an Airbus A320-200 with the registration number PK-AXC. The airline has set up an emergency call center for family and friends of those who may be on board. The Associated Press says the plane has two pilots, five crew members and 155 passengers, including 16 children and one infant. Three passengers are South Koreans, one British and one Malaysian; the rest are from Indonesia. Mustofa told the media that the plane lost contact when it was believed to be over the Java Sea between Kalimantan and Java islands. The weather in the area was cloudy, he said. Malaysia-based Air Asia has profited from the growth of the middle class in Southeast Asia and now dominates low-cost air travel in the regional, says Kuhn. It's the first time the carrier has lost a flight, he says.
Malaysia's national carrier, Malaysia Airlines, suffered two unrelated disasters in 2014, both involving Boeing 777s. Flight MH370 disappeared mysteriously from radar en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March. The hunt for the wreckage of that plane and the 239 people on board continues. In July, Flight 17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over rebel-held territory of eastern Ukraine with 298 aboard. "Evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile from an area controlled by Russian-backed separatists inside of Ukraine," President Obama said at the time. AP quotes an expert on air crash search and rescue with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, who argued against connecting the AirAsia flight to MH370. "I think we have to let this play out," said William Waldock. "Hopefully, the airplane will get found, and if that happens it will probably be in the next few hours. Until then, we have to reserve judgment." Waldock said authorities are more likely to find QZ8501 because the intended flight time was less than two hours and they know the location in which the plane disappeared. "We don't dare to presume what has happened except that it has lost contact." Djoko Murjatmodjo, Indonesia's acting director general of transportation, told reporters. He said the pilot "asked to avoid clouds by turning left and going higher to 34,000 feet."
The seas here on the straits are rough but nothing exceptional. But it could be much worse further out in the less-sheltered Java sea. It's getting dark in this area and is still raining, making it very hard to spot something in these conditions.
Jakarta - Pilots aboard a missing AirAsia aircraft carrying 162 people had requested a deviation from the plane's flight plan due to bad weather shortly before losing communication with air traffic control, an AirAsia statement said.
The pilots requested "deviation due to en route weather before communication with the aircraft was lost while it was still under the control of the Indonesian Air Traffic Control [ATC]", AirAsia said in a statement on its Facebook page.
The aircraft was en route from Indonesia to Singapore on Sunday morning before losing communications with the airline, in the third crisis for a Malaysian carrier this year.
Air traffic controllers lost contact with the Airbus A320-200 around an hour after it left Juanda international airport in Surabaya in east Java at 5:20am. It was scheduled to arrive in Singapore at 08:30.
The airline said 156 of those on the flight were Indonesians, along with three South Koreans and one person each from Singapore, Malaysia and France also missing.
On board were 138 adult passengers, 16 children and an infant, in addition to the two pilots and five cabin crew.
Search under way
The Indonesian air force said two of its planes had been dispatched to scour an area of the Java Sea, southwest of Pangkalan Bun in Kalimantan province.
"The weather is cloudy and the area is surrounded by sea. We are still on our way so we won't make an assumption on what happened to the plane," said Indonesian air force spokesperson Hadi Cahyanto.
The aircraft was operated by AirAsia Indonesia, a unit of Malaysian-based AirAsia which dominates Southeast Asia's booming low cost airline market.
An official from Indonesia's transport ministry said the pilot asked to ascend 6 000 feet to 38 000 feet to avoid heavy clouds.
"The plane is in good condition but the weather is not so good," Djoko Murjatmodjo told a press conference at Jakarta's airport, addressing reports of severe storms in the area where the jet went missing.
Murjatmodjo said search efforts were being focused on an area between Belitung island and Kalimantan, on the western side of the island of Borneo, about halfway along the expected route of Flight QZ8501.
Singapore has offered help from its navy and air force in the hunt for the plane.
US briefed
The White House said US President Barack Obama had been briefed on the disappearance and that it was monitoring the situation.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago with poor land transport infrastructure, has seen an explosive growth of low-cost air travel over recent years.
But the air industry has been blighted by poor safety standards in an area that also experiences extreme weather - although AirAsia said the missing jet last underwent maintenance on 16 November.
The company swiftly replaced its bright red logo to a grey background on its social media pages.
The plane's disappearance comes at the end of a disastrous year for Malaysian aviation.
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, carrying 239 people, vanished in March after inexplicably diverting from its Kuala Lumpur-Beijing course. No trace of the aircraft has been found.
Just months later another Malaysia Airlines plane went down in July in rebellion-torn eastern Ukraine - believed to have been hit by a surface-to-air missile - killing all 298 aboard.
Support
Malaysia Airlines posted a message of support to AirAsia on its Twitter page, saying, "Our thoughts and prayers are with all family and friends of those on board QZ8501", along with the hashtag "stay strong".
AirAsia, Asia's budget travel leader, is led by flamboyant boss Tony Fernandes, a former record industry executive who acquired the then-failing airline in 2001.
It has seen spectacular success and aggressive growth under his low-cost, low-overhead model.
While its rival Malaysia Airlines faces potential collapse after two disasters this year, AirAsia confirmed this month its order of 55 A330-900neo passenger planes at a list price of $15bn.
The captain in command had a total of 6,100 flying hours and the first officer had a total of 2,275 flying hours, according to the airline. The aircraft had undergone its last scheduled maintenance on November 16, 2014.
The flight manifest for the jet showed there were 155 passengers on board plus seven crew members.
Of the passengers, 156 were Indonesians, three were South Korean, and there was one traveler each from Malaysia and Singapore and France, according to AirAsia.
The Indonesian air force says two planes have been dispatched to scour an area of the Java Sea, southwest of Pangkalan Bun in Kalimantan province -- around halfway along the flight's expected route.
Air force spokesman Hadi Cahyanto said: "The weather is cloudy and the area is surrounded by sea. We are still on our way so we won't make an assumption on what happened to the plane."
A massive sea search began Sunday morning after an AirAsia Airbus A320-200 disappeared during a flight from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore, shortly after the pilots requested a change of flight plan because of weather, the airline said.
Flight QZ8501, which had 162 people on board, lost contact with air traffic control at 7:24 a.m. Sunday local time near Belitung Island, Indonesia, according to a statement from AirAsia. It was scheduled to land in Singapore at 8:30 a.m. local time.
The plane was several hours past the time when its fuel would have been exhausted, Indonesian officials said during a news conference Sunday.
