QZ8501: Singapore activates coordination centre to assist in SAR

The Airbus 320-200 plane with 162 people onboard comprising 155 Indonesians, three South Koreans, Singaporean (1), Malaysian (1), British (1) and French (1) was scheduled to arrive at 0830 hours local time from Surabaya, lost contact with Jakarta air traffic control at 0724 hours local time today.

In a statement, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said the Singapore air traffic control was informed of this loss of contact at 0754 hours by Jakarta air traffic control.

The aircraft was in the Indonesian Flight Information Region (FIR) when contact was lost, more than 200 nautical miles southeast of the Singapore-Jakarta FIR boundary.

CAAS and Changi Airport Group (CAG) Crisis Management Centres were immediately activated and have been working closely with the airline’s crisis management team.

The Singapore Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC), managed by CAAS and supported by various agencies, including the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), had offered assistance to BASARNAS, the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency, at 0930 hours local time, this morning.

CAAS said: "We offered our planes and ships to assist in the search, and received confirmation from the Indonesian authorities this afternoon at 1430 hours accepting our offer, and launched one C130 aircraft for today’s search.

Two planes will set off early tomorrow morning to continue with the search. CAAS will also be sending an officer to the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency in Jakarta to assist in the coordination with the Indonesian authorities on the search operations.

In response to media queries, CAAS confirmed that the Singaporean on board the missing flight is a two-year-old girl.

She was travelling with her father, a British national. We had earlier in the day made contact with the girl’s mother and grandparents, who were at the RHA, and provided them all necessary support.

Singapore’s Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew said: "This is a difficult time for the relatives of those on board QZ8501. We are doing our best to offer the necessary help and support to all NOKs (next of kins) at the RHA (Relatives' Holding Area).

The Ministry of Social and Family Development and CAG have provided counsellors and care officers to support the NOKs.

Other staff from CAG, AirAsia and airport partners, as well as officials from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Singapore, are also assisting the NOKs.

Arrangements for local accommodation or for travel to Indonesia have been made for the NOKs.

NOKs can contact Indonesia AirAsia at +62 (21) 2985 0801 for more information.

Meanwhile, a report quoting Indonesia's Ministry of Transport said that rescuers scouring the Java Sea for a missing AirAsia plane halted their search at nightfall on Sunday.

The SAR was ended at 5.30pm (1030 GMT) as it was getting dark and due to bad weather.