• Family members of passengers of missing Malaysian air carrier AirAsia flight QZ8501 gather at Juanda international airport in Surabaya in East Java on Sunday. Juni Kriswanto / AFP
    Family members of passengers of missing Malaysian air carrier AirAsia flight QZ8501 gather at Juanda international airport in Surabaya in East Java on Sunday. Juni Kriswanto / AFP
  • People queue at an AirAsia counter at Changi Airport in Singapore on Sunday. Indonesia’s Transport Ministry official Hadi Mustofa said an AirAsia aircraft, flight number QZ 8501from Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore, lost contact with the Jakarta air traffic control tower on Sunday at 6:17 a.m local time. Edgar Su / Reuters
    People queue at an AirAsia counter at Changi Airport in Singapore on Sunday. Indonesia’s Transport Ministry official Hadi Mustofa said an AirAsia aircraft, flight number QZ 8501from Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore, lost contact with the Jakarta air traffic control tower on Sunday at 6:17 a.m local time. Edgar Su / Reuters
  • A woman leaves a holding area for friends and relatives of passengers on AirAsia flight QZ8501 at Changi Airport on Sunday in Singapore. AirAsia announced that the flight from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore lost contact with air traffic control this morning. Suhaimi Abdullah / Getty Images
    A woman leaves a holding area for friends and relatives of passengers on AirAsia flight QZ8501 at Changi Airport on Sunday in Singapore. AirAsia announced that the flight from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore lost contact with air traffic control this morning. Suhaimi Abdullah / Getty Images
  • An electronic sign directs the relatives of the passengers of missing Air Asia flight QZ 8501 to a holding area at the Changi Airport in Singapore. The flight was on its way to Singapore from Surabaya and was reported missing by Indonesian air authorities over the Indonesian islands of Tanjung Pandan and Pontianak. Wallace Woon / EPA
    An electronic sign directs the relatives of the passengers of missing Air Asia flight QZ 8501 to a holding area at the Changi Airport in Singapore. The flight was on its way to Singapore from Surabaya and was reported missing by Indonesian air authorities over the Indonesian islands of Tanjung Pandan and Pontianak. Wallace Woon / EPA
  • A Changi Airport staff holds up a sign to direct possible next-of-kins of passengers of AirAsia flight QZ 8501 from Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore. Edgar Su / Reuters
    A Changi Airport staff holds up a sign to direct possible next-of-kins of passengers of AirAsia flight QZ 8501 from Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore. Edgar Su / Reuters
  • Family members of passengers of missing Malaysian air carrier AirAsia flight QZ8501 gather at Juanda international airport in Surabaya in East Java on Sunday, hours after news the flight went missing. The AirAsia Airbus plane with 162 people on board went missing en route from Indonesia to Singapore early this morning, in the third major incident to affect a Malaysian carrier this year. Juni Kriswanto / AFP
    Family members of passengers of missing Malaysian air carrier AirAsia flight QZ8501 gather at Juanda international airport in Surabaya in East Java on Sunday, hours after news the flight went missing. The AirAsia Airbus plane with 162 people on board went missing en route from Indonesia to Singapore early this morning, in the third major incident to affect a Malaysian carrier this year. Juni Kriswanto / AFP
  • Two people arrive at a holding area for friends and relatives of passengers on AirAsia flight 8501 at Changi Airport. Suhaimi Abdullah / Getty Images
    Two people arrive at a holding area for friends and relatives of passengers on AirAsia flight 8501 at Changi Airport. Suhaimi Abdullah / Getty Images
  • Staff from the Indonesian embassy leave a holding area for friends and relatives of passengers on AirAsia flight QZ8501 at Changi Airport. AirAsia announced that the flight from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore lost contact with air traffic control on this morning. Suhaimi Abdullah / Getty Images
    Staff from the Indonesian embassy leave a holding area for friends and relatives of passengers on AirAsia flight QZ8501 at Changi Airport. AirAsia announced that the flight from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore lost contact with air traffic control on this morning. Suhaimi Abdullah / Getty Images
  • The plane had requested deviation due to weather before communication with the aircraft was lost. Edgar Su / Reuters
    The plane had requested deviation due to weather before communication with the aircraft was lost. Edgar Su / Reuters
  • Malaysia Transport Minister, Liow Tiong Lai, left, holds a press conference regarding the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501. The airline confirmed that flight QZ8501 from Surubaya to Singapore lost contact with air traffic control at 07.42 am local time this morning. Fazry Ismail / EPA
    Malaysia Transport Minister, Liow Tiong Lai, left, holds a press conference regarding the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501. The airline confirmed that flight QZ8501 from Surubaya to Singapore lost contact with air traffic control at 07.42 am local time this morning. Fazry Ismail / EPA
  • A relative looks at a list of passengers on the missing AirAsia flight at Juanda Airport. Fully Handoko / EPA
    A relative looks at a list of passengers on the missing AirAsia flight at Juanda Airport. Fully Handoko / EPA

Asia

AirAsia plane goes missing in Indonesia - in pictures

Rob Gurdebeke

December 28, 2014

  • English
  • Arabic

An AirAsia plane with 162 people on board lost contact with ground control on Sunday while flying over the Java Sea after taking off from a provincial city in Indonesia for Singapore. The two countries immediately launched a search and rescue operation.

South-East AsiaIndonesiaSingaporeMalaysia