A Malaysian Boeing has disappeared under mysterious circumstances for the second time in a year.
Ground traffic control services in Indonesia have lost touch with the Airbus A320-200 Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia flying from Surabaya (the second largest city in Indonesia) to Singapore.
Communication with the plane was broken, it is presumed, near the island of Kalimantan (Borneo) above the Java Sea 42 minutes after departure. On board were 155 passengers, including 16 children and one infant, and seven crew members, including two pilots, four flight attendants and one engineer.
Until now there has been no accurate information about the circumstances of the aircraft.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Minister of Transport Liou Tiong Lai dismissed information which appeared in mass media that fragments of the aircraft had been found during the search operation. The head of department stated that the fate of the aircraft and those on board were still unknown.
According to the minister, Malaysia has sent three vessels and three aircraft to help the Indonesian-led search operation in response to a request. Tiong Lai Liou said that he is working closely with counterparts from Indonesia and Singapore.
The Minister said that a special Coordination Centre of the rescue operation was being deployed in Kuala Lumpur. However, according to the conventions of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Indonesia assumed the role of head of the search and rescue operation as communication with the aircraft was lost when it was in its sector of responsibility.
Vice President of Indonesia Jusuf Kalla said that "There's a possibility that it crashed... But we haven't got any information that indicates where the plane crashed."
General Director of AirAsia Tony Fernandes has arrived in the Indonesian city of Surabaya to ensure inter-operability between the carrier and the organizers of the search and rescue operation.
"I will continue to pass on information as it comes," TASS quoted him as saying. "My only thoughts are with the passengers and my crew. We put our hope in the SAR operation and thank the Indonesian, Singaporean and Malaysian governments." He also described it as his "worst nightmare".Specialists of he National Directorate of Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (NUMKG) of Indonesia stressed that the missing aircraft was at that time near the Indonesian island of Belitung in the Java Sea in the vast area of thick rain clouds. "Throughout the entire route the weather was cloudy. These clouds were different types, including cumulonimbus, which aircraft should beware of. Dense clouds at a height of 16 thousand meters were observed exactly in the place where contact was lost with the airliner," Detik.com quoted the Head of the center for transportation meteorology NUMKG, Shamsul Huda."Indeed, in such cases the aircraft should bypass the clouds, and the pilot must request permission to climb or avoid," the meteorologist said. Earlier, it was reported that the missing Airbus A320-200 took off from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore at 05.36 Western Indonesian time (01.36 MSK), and at 06.16 the pilot requested permission to change course and altitude due to weather conditions. At 06.18 Western Indonesian time (time of arrival at Singapore airport is one hour ahead) the airplane disappeared from radar screens without submitting a pre-distress signal."The aircraft was in good condition but the weather there was not good," the General Director of Air Transport Management of the Indonesian Ministry of Transport Djoko Murjatmodjo said. According to AirAsia, the plane had undergone its last scheduled maintenance on November 16.Currently, due to the onset of darkness, Indonesian Navy ships and Indonesia's air force have returned to base. Assistance in finding the Boeing has been offered by the United States and Australia.
"I will continue to pass on information as it comes," TASS quoted him as saying. "My only thoughts are with the passengers and my crew. We put our hope in the SAR operation and thank the Indonesian, Singaporean and Malaysian governments." He also described it as his "worst nightmare".
Specialists of he National Directorate of Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (NUMKG) of Indonesia stressed that the missing aircraft was at that time near the Indonesian island of Belitung in the Java Sea in the vast area of thick rain clouds. "Throughout the entire route the weather was cloudy. These clouds were different types, including cumulonimbus, which aircraft should beware of. Dense clouds at a height of 16 thousand meters were observed exactly in the place where contact was lost with the airliner," Detik.com quoted the head of the center for transportation meteorology NUMKG, Shamsul Huda.
"Indeed, in such cases the aircraft should bypass the clouds, and the pilot must request permission to climb or avoid," the meteorologist said. Earlier, it was reported that the missing Airbus A320-200 took off from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore at 05.36 Western Indonesian time (01.36 MSK), and at 06.16 the pilot requested permission to change course and altitude due to weather conditions. At 06.18 Western Indonesian time (time of arrival at Singapore airport is one hour ahead) the airplane disappeared from radar screens without submitting a pre-distress signal.
"The aircraft was in good condition but the weather there was not good," the General Director of Air Transport Management of the Indonesian Ministry of Transport Djoko Murjatmodjo said. According to AirAsia, the plane had undergone its last scheduled maintenance on November 16.
Currently, due to the onset of darkness, Indonesian Navy ships and Indonesia's air force have returned to base. Assistance in finding the Boeing has been offered by the United States and Australia.
