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(Updated 7:03 p.m.; refresh page for updates) JAKARTA - An AirAsia flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore lost contact with air traffic control on Sunday, Indonesian media said, citing a Transport Ministry official.

Transport Ministry official Hadi Mustofa said the aircraft, flight number QZ 8501, lost contact with the Jakarta air traffic control tower at 6:17 a.m local time. (2317 GMT).

Indonesia's air transportation director general Djoko Murjatmodjo told Agence France-Presse the Airbus 320-200 was carrying seven crew and 155 passengers138 adults, 16 children and a baby, updating earlier figures.

According to AirAsia in an updated statement, the passengers consisted of 149 Indonesians, three South Koreans, one Malaysian, one Singaporean and one Briton. The crew consisted of six Indonesians and one French national.

The flight had been due in Singapore at 8:30 a.m. Singapore time (0030 GMT). The Singapore airport said on its website the status of the flight was "delayed."

'Unusual route'

The Transport Ministry earlier said that the airport had requested an "unusual route" before it lost contact with air traffic control.

In a later news conference, Joko Muryo Atmodjo, air transportation director at the Transport Ministry, said that the aircraft had been flying at 32,000 feet and had asked to fly at 38,000 feet to avoid clouds.

The aircraft was between the Indonesian port of Tanjung Pandan and the town of Pontianak, in West Kalimantan on Borneo island, when it went missing, he added.

CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam said that there were "heavy thunderstorms" in the region at the time. "But keep in mind, turbulence doesn't necessarily bring down airplanes," Van Dam said in a CNN report.

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AirAsia flight from Indonesia to Singapore missing