Britain confirms its national is on missing AirAsia jet

David Cameron: British Prime Minister

A British national was on board the AirAsia plane carrying 162 people that went missing in bad weather Sunday en route from Indonesia to Singapore, the Foreign Office confirmed.

“We are aware of an incident regarding Air Asia flight QZ 8501,” said a statement from the ministry.

“We have been informed by the local authorities that one British national was on board. Their next of kin has been informed, and we stand ready to provide consular assistance.”

AirAsia plane

Air traffic controllers lost contact with the Airbus A320-200 around an hour after it left Juanda international airport at Surabaya in east Java, at 5:20am (2220 GMT Saturday).

Shortly before disappearing, the plane asked permission from Jakarta air traffic control to deviate from its flight plan and climb above bad weather in an area noted for severe thunderstorms.