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JAKARTA, Indonesia - An AirAsia plane with 161 people aboard lost contact with ground control on Sunday after takeoff from Indonesia on the way to Singapore, and search and rescue operations were underway.

The plane lost communication with Jakarta's air traffic control at 7:24 a.m., about an hour before it was scheduled to land in Singapore, the Singapore Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement. The contact was lost about 42 minutes after takeoff from Indonesia's Surabaya airport, Hadi Mustofa, an official of the transportation ministry told Indonesia's MetroTV.

AirAsia said in a statement that the plane was an Airbus A320-200 and that search and rescue operations were in progress.

The plane had six crew and 155 passengers, including 16 children and one infant, the general manager of Surabaya's Juanda airport, Trikora Raharjo, told The Associated Press.

There were six foreigners — three South Koreans including an infant and one each from Singapore, British and Malaysia, said Raharjo. The rest were Indonesians, he said.

The plane lost contact when it was believed to be over the Java Sea between Kalimantan and Java islands, Mustofa said.

He said the weather in the area was cloudy.

The Singapore aviation authority said it was informed about the missing plane by Jakarta ground control about half an hour after the contact was lost.

"Search and rescue operations have been activated by the Indonesian authorities," it said, adding that the Singapore air force and the navy also were activated with two C-130 planes.

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Just read that myself!! Interesting thing is the pilot asked for an unusual route just before silence.

Ya know... (having put my tin-foil hat on)... This almost sounds like someone is collecting them.

I am more concerned for the folks on this flight, and the last two (over Ukraine, and over the Indian ocean) that went down (or are missing). Makes one think twice before flying somewhere.

Does anyone know if there is a system that tracks transport category aircraft... it just seems dumb we have powerful computers in our pocket that also make phone calls... yet something as big as a jumbo-jet can get lost.

I bet they will start looking for it off the west coast of Australia? Why not, the first one wasn't there either, but that's where they looked

Very fishy

They have all been Airbus's.......jusr sayin'
Never have liked them.

And all Asian ownership?

Just curious...

I wonder if maintenance on aircraft owned and operated by 'some' airlines... is left wanting?
Or is there a world organization that monitors maintenance?

No! Airlines would never send maintenance to a third world country to save a buck....
I mean c'mon, lefty losey righty tighty is universal. Or global. What could go wrong?
If you pay a guy $6000 a month to do a job that a 3rd world guy will do for $200 a month you are obviously getting the same qualiy of work and saving a boatload of cash... sheesh you guys just dont get it...

I realize this is kinda discriminatory... was thinking of countries which have recently developed beyond agrarian societies... which have been in the airline business, maybe, a decade or so... And due to their location, perhaps inspection and verification of maintenance is lacking?

I remember all to well when I worked for Texas Air in the late 1970's... even back then maintenance was less than stellar.

Qantas evidently sends its maintenance to one of the Asian countries where thy work for a bowl of rice a day..... Qantas went from being the safest airline in the world, to whatever number it is now? 20th or something Not to mention they sacked most of the Aussie workforce..... now every second plane has to turn back because of smoke in the cabin or engines falling off

Aint safe no more bro

Edit: When you guys ring a big US company or utility company, do you have to try and speak to an Indian or Philipino to someone at an offshore call center like we do? If I have to ring foxtel, I don't bother.... they hear, but they don't understand for some reason.... so annoying

Mujibar was trying to get a job in India.

The Personnel Manager said, "Mujibar, you have passed all the tests except one. Unless you pass it you cannot qualify for this job."

Mujibar said, "I am ready."

The Manager said, "Make a sentence using the words Yellow, Pink and Green."

Mujibar thought for a few minutes and said, "Mister Manager, I am ready."

The Manager said, "Go ahead."

Mujibar said, "The telephone goes green, green, green, and I pink it up, and say, 'Yellow, this is Mujibar.'"

Mujibar now works as a technician at a call center for computer problems. No doubt you have spoken to him.

Yeah... I have spoken to Mujibar...
Told him to get me a supervisor that spoke good english... or I would talk to HR and get him fired... worked...

I quit flying when my Dad came to live with me in 2010... no need to fly anywhere.
Now I am glad I did... it seems it is not safe.

Hopefully, as the economy firms up... safety will become a concern...

Not sure if this is a good idea: Guy I know who flies a bit... said he always books flights on newer planes.
Is that a good idea... or are the newer planes "not made like they used to"...

John- I love your tactic of talking to his HR manager. Have to remember that one!

The only ones that are not safe are the 3rd world carriers and the domestic cut rate carriers.
Value jet....remember them?

Here is my theory on this.
one of these days, these Airplanes will show up again. Loaded with explosives banging in to some major city in the US.
Think about it.
Kidnap an Airbus.
Make it look like it crashed.
Hide Airbus and load it up with explosives.
Think about the range of these planes.

Would make a much bigger bang than 9/11.

Have they found the plane or some wreckage yet?

As much as I don't want it to be true I have a feeling you are correct my friend!

Nowadays ya never know !!!

Back then (Malaysia missing jet) ... I figured it would be nearly impossible to hide it from radar , or to land unnoticed at any major airport ... and it would have to land at an airport

Unless passenger jets can now land on grass or sand

But stranger things have happened

Soon they will be calling that area the INDIAN OCEAN TRIANGLE or something.

Anyone been counting ???? .... must be 400-600 dead by now.

..

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As I am sure many agree... I hope you are wrong.
However I would not be surprised.

OTOH... seems to me (the little I know)... the largest hurdle to overcome to actually fly a transport category aircraft into US airspace (from foreign airspace)... would be air traffic control. There is NO DOUBT in my mind... nothing, and I mean NOTHING in the air is allowed to cross into US airspace... without prior approval.
Maybe someone here knows enough about ATC to comment???

The latest we are hearing is they have found a bit of wreckage floating...I saw on the news last night, the pilot asked for more altitude ..... he was at 32,000' and asked for 38,000' to TRY AND FLY OVER A CUMULO NIMBUS cloud (thunder storm)

So, if he did manage to get above the cloud, which I doubt..... he may have found the plane going down at 15,000 feet per minute whilst the wings were going up at 15,000 feet per minute Those clouds deserve a reeeeeeeeeel wide birth..... even in an airliner. I remember hearing of a female para sailer being pulled up to 50,000' when she was picked up by a CuN cloud (and she survived)