AirAsia QZ8501: Indonesia might revoke airline's license as transport ministry set to investigate flight schedules

AirAsia's license in Indonesia could be revoked as the country's transport ministry is widening its probe into the airline for irregularities and begins to investigate all of its flight schedules.

A government official told Reuters that Indonesia's transport ministry will investigate the flight schedules from 5 January as part of a government probe into the plane crash.

"We are going to investigate all AirAsia flight schedules," Reuters quoted Djoko Muratmodjo, acting general director for air navigation in the transport ministry, as saying.

"Hopefully we can start on next Monday. We won't focus on licences, just schedules.

"It might be possible to revoke AirAsia's license in Indonesia," Muratmodjo added.

Indonesia's transportation ministry earlier suspended AirAsia's flights along the Surabaya-Singapore route, as it said the airline did not have permission to use the route on the day of the accident.

Indonesia AirAsia chief executive Sunu Widyatmoko told reporters the company would cooperate with the government investigation.

Earlier on 2 January, the Indonesian search and rescue team found two big objects, which have been confirmed to be part of the wreckage of the downed AirAsia QZ8501, on the ocean floor.

The agency said it widened the search area on 3 January as debris may have drifted more than 200 nautical miles.

AirAsia plane QZ8501, an Airbus A320, had earlier disappeared with 162 people on board while flying from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore.

The search and rescue teams have so far discovered 30 bodies, and operations to recover victims are continuing. The cause of the crash is not known yet.

The plane was flying at 32,000 feet and the pilot had asked to raise the elevation to 38,000 feet to avoid bad weather, just before contact was lost.