"WORST NIGHTMARE"

The Indonesian pilot was experienced and the plane last underwent maintenance in mid-November, the airline said. The aircraft had accumulated about 23,000 flight hours in some13,600 flights, according to Airbus.

Malaysia AirAsia chief Tony Fernandes flew to Surabaya and,along with Indonesian officials, updated distraught relatives of passengers at a makeshift crisis centre at the airport in Indonesia's second-largest city.

"This is my worst nightmare," Fernandes said on Twitter.

"But there's no stopping", he said of the search.

Indonesia's Transportation Ministry said the government would carry out a review of AirAisa's Indonesian business unit to improve safety.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo urged his people to pray for the safety of the passengers and crew.

Louise Sidharta was at Singapore's Changi Airport waiting for her fiancee to return from a family holiday.

"It was supposed to be their last vacation before we got married," she said.