PETALING JAYA: Missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501 is an Indonesian aircraft owned by AirAsia Indonesia and not a Malaysian flight as widely reported in social media.
Indonesia AirAsia is an affiliate airline of the larger Malaysian-based AirAsia group. According to its website, AirAsia Indonesia was established on Dec 8, 2004, through a joint venture between AirAsia International Ltd. and PT Awair International.
AirAsia Berhad has a 49% share in the airline with Fersindo Nusaperkasa, its parent company, owning 51% share. The low-cost airline has hubs in Jakarta, Bandung, Bali, Surabaya and Medan.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai has said that Indonesia will take control of the search-and-rescue operations and the Malaysian government will assist them.
The search operations are being conducted under the guidance of Indonesia's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) with the cooperation of AirAsia Indonesia.
The Airbus A320-200 aircraft lost communication with Surabaya airport 42 minutes after takeoff at 5:35am local time (6.35am Malaysian time). It was enroute to Singapore.
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