AirAsia plane went missing

A Singapore bound AirAsia Airliner QZ8501 originated from Surabaya, Indonesia reported missing with 162 people on board at around 06.20 local time (23.20 GMT).

The aircraft lost all sorts of contact with the ATC (Air Traffic Control) about an hour after its departure. The ATC could not receive any distress call from the missing aircraft.

The missing point is assumed to be somewhere over the Java Sea between Belitung island and Pontianak, on a part of Kalimantan Island of Indonesia.

The flight was due to arrive in Singapore at 08.30 local time (00.30 GMT).

The pilot of the missing jet requested to climb 38000 ft. due to bad weather in an effort to escape thick cloud and a deviation from the flight path, Indonesian Transport Ministry said.

AirAsia is a budget airliner based in Malaysia and it is the first time for the company to lose an aircraft.

Indonesian Army along with Singapore and Malaysia already started Search and Rescue Operation searching the area near Belitung.

The year 2014 proved to be a difficult one for aviation industry in Asia since 2 of the Malaysian Airlines plane suffered losses.

In March, the MH370 flight disappeared during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers on board. The wreckage of the flight could not be traced since the time of missing despite frantic effort by multinational searchers.

Again in July, another Malaysian Aircraft was shot down over Ukrainian border area which killed all of its 298 passengers on board.