Family members of passengers on board flight QZ 8501 checking a passenger list inside a crisis centre at Juanda Airport in Surabaya, East Java. — Reuters/Antara photo
KUALA LUMPUR: The missing AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501 had accumulated approximately 23,000 flying hours in some 13,600 flights, aircraft manufacturer Airbus said in a statement yesterday.
The European aircraft maker also said that the A320-200 plane, with a total capacity of 180 passengers, was delivered to low-cost carrier AirAsia in October 2008.
It was registered as PK-AXC with MSN (Manufacturer Serial Number) 3648 and operated on a scheduled service.
The aircraft belonging to AirAsia Indonesia was enroute from Surabaya to Singapore when it lost contact with air traffic control at 7.24 am local time.
The A320-200 is a twin-engine single-aisle aircraft, said Airbus, which is headquartered in Toulouse, France.
The first A320 entered service in March 1988.
By end of November 2014, over 6000 A320 family aircraft were in service with over 300 operators.
A search and rescue mission has been mounted by Indonesian aviation authorities and as at press time, the plane carrying 162 passengers and crew has yet to be found.
“Airbus will provide full assistance to the French safety investigation authority, Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA), and to the authorities in charge of the investigation,” Airbus said.
It added further factual information would be made available as soon as the details have been confirmed and cleared by the authorities. — Bernama