A search and rescue operation for missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 was suspended on Sunday night due to darkness and will resume in the morning, Indonesian transport officials said.

The plane carrying 162 people encountered bad weather and lost contact with Indonesian Air Traffic Control on Sunday morning.

About 11 hours after it disappeared, Indonesian military aircraft had yet to find any sign of the Airbus A320-200 as dusk set in.

The search halted at 5.30pm (local time) but would resume at 7am Monday, or even earlier if the weather was good, Indonesian transport ministry official Hadi Mustofa said.

• Relatives gather in nervous wait for news

Contact was lost after the plane “deviated” from its flight path and the pilot attempted to climb to 38,000 feet to avoid bad weather, the airline confirmed.

Relatives of those on the missing flight have gathered in Indonesia and Singapore in a tense wait for information about what happened to the plane.

Indonesia’s air transportation director general Djoko Murjatmodjo said the plane was carrying 162 people: 138 adult passengers, 16 children, a baby and seven crew.

AirAsia flight with 162 people on board is missing. Photo: Getty

He said the aircraft had been flying at 32,000 feet and had asked to fly at 38,000 feet to avoid clouds before it lost contact.

He said that search efforts were being focused on an area between Belitung island and Kalimantan, on the western side of the island of Borneo, about halfway along the flight’s expected route.

“We are coordinating with rescue team and looking for its position. We believe it is somewhere between” Tanjung Pandan, a town on Belitung island, and Kalimantan, he said.

A statement from the low-cost airline on Sunday night said there were 155 Indonesians, three South Koreans, one Singaporean, one Malaysian, one Briton and one French national on board the missing plane.

While there are no Australians on board, the Australian Embassy in Jakarta and the Australian High Commission in Singapore were still seeking confirmation on Sunday evening.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott spoke with Indonesian president Joko Widodo to offer assistance.

Mr Abbott said a P3 Orion aircraft was on standby to assist if it was required.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she had spoken with the Indonesian ambassador to Australia, Najib Riphat Kesoema, and has been trying to confirm details of the missing plane.

“It’s always deeply concerning when we hear news such as this and all we can do is ascertain as much as we can about the details of the flight and to determine whether there were any Australians on board,” Ms Bishop said.

She said she had also called Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi to offer support and assistance.

I’ve spoken to President Widodo tonight to convey Australia’s sadness at the #AirAsia #QZ8501 tragedy and offered all we can to assist

— Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) December 28, 2014

The Indonesian Air Force said it had dispatched two planes over the Java sea to search for the plane.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore confirmed it has launched one C-130 aircraft to assist with the search.

The Malaysian-owned carrier’s plane left Indonesia’s Surabaya, destined for Singapore, at 5.20am local time (8.20am AEDT).

It was due to arrive at 8.30am (11.30am AEDT).

A report on the Aviation Safety Network website on Sunday afternoon said the time of expiry for the plane’s fuel load had passed.

This is an estimated position of #QZ8501 at 23:18 UTC when AirNav Indonesia say they lost radar contact pic.twitter.com/IMMht5xbEG — Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) December 28, 2014

Mr Mustofa said the flight lost contact with the Jakarta air traffic control tower at 7.24am (10.24am AEDT), about 42 minutes after takeoff.

He said the plane had asked for an unusual route before it disappeared over the Java Sea between Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) and the Java Islands.

The pilot had completed 6,100 flying hours and the first officer had completed 2,275.

The plane last underwent scheduled maintenance on November 16.

Records show more than 20 people didn’t turn up for the flight.

AirAsia Indonesia regrets to confirm that QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore has lost contact at 07:24hrs this morning http://t.co/WomRQuzcPO — AirAsia (@AirAsia) December 28, 2014

The co-pilot of the missing plane is French citizen Remi Emmanuel Plesel, Indonesian Transportation Ministry spokesman JA Barata said.

Family members of passengers of missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 gather at Juanda international airport in Surabaya in East Java. Photo: Getty

Statement from AirAsia

“AirAsia Indonesia regrets to confirm that flight QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore has lost contact with air traffic control at 07:24hrs this morning.

“At the present time we unfortunately have no further information regarding the status of the passengers and crew members on board, but we will keep all parties informed as more information becomes available.

“The aircraft was an Airbus A320-200 with the registration number PK-AXC.

“There were two pilots, four flight attendants and one engineer on board.

“The captain in command had a total of 6,100 flying hours and the first officer a total of 2,275 flying hours.”

The statement continued: “At this time, search and rescue operations are being conducted under the guidance of The Indonesia of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). AirAsia Indonesia is cooperating fully and assisting the investigation in every possible way.

“The aircraft was on the submitted flight plan route and was requesting deviation due to enroute weather before communication with the aircraft was lost while it was still under the control of the Indonesian Air Traffic Control (ATC).

“The aircraft had undergone its last scheduled maintenance on 16 November 2014.

“AirAsia has established an Emergency Call Centre that is available for family or friends of those who may have been on board the aircraft. The number is: +622129850801.”

A sign provides information for friends and relatives of passengers on the flight. Photo: Getty

Horror year for Malaysian aviation

The disappearance of QZ8501 marks the third major commercial aviation incident to affect a Malaysian-based carrier this year.

In March, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 went missing with 239 people on board. The search for the Boeing 777 is still underway, however no trace of the aircraft has been discovered.

In July, 298 people were killed when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over the troubled Ukraine. Pro-Russian rebels were widely blamed for shooting down the aircraft with a surface-to-air missile. Russia says a Ukrainian fighter jet could have shot down the plane.

A Dutch-led investigation into the crash is continuing.

Six Australians were on board MH370, while 38 Australian citizens and residents were killed on board MH17.

Despite other high-profile commercial aviation disasters in 2014, such as the Air Algerie crash in northern Africa and TransAsia Airways crash in Taiwan, there has been a comparatively low number of deaths compared with previous years.

The worst years on record are 1972 and 1985, with 2429 and 2331 deaths respectively, according to data from the Aviation Safety Network.

There have been 526 confirmed deaths in 2014 so far, however flights MH370 and QZ8501 are yet to be located.

Last contact at 32000 ft over Java Sea MT: @flightradar24: Indonesia AirAsia #QZ8501 when ADS-B signal was lost pic.twitter.com/JoWX7rzVyF — Mari Ramos (@MariRamosTV) December 28, 2014

Missing Air Asia flight #QZ8501 was 32,000 feet above the Java Sea when its signal was lost. — Rushani Epa (@theoriginalEPA) December 28, 2014

– with AAP