The missing AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501, is a new aircraft flown by an experienced pilot.
The Airbus A320-200 has been in service for six years and had logged about 23,000 flight hours.
Designed to fly shorter routes, the A320 is a twin-engine aircraft with 180 seats. The jet has a cruising speed of Mach 0.78 and can reach a maximum speed of Mach 0.82. Its maximum operating altitude is 39,100 feet.
The A320 has been popular among airlines ever since its launch in 1987. The latest data shows that more than 3,600 A320s are currently in service around the globe.
The Airbus model A320-200 launched in 1987, has a proven safety record. Out of some 85 million flights, there have been just 54 accidents involving the Airbus A320, with 11 causing casualties.
The last deadly crash occurred in 2008, when an Airbus A320 belonging to TACA Airlines crashed in Honduras.
AirAsia, a budget airline based in Malaysia, had not suffered any fatal aviation accidents since it began business in 1996.
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