Kin demand apology on AirAsia crash anniversary

Families of those killed in an AirAsia plane crash in Indonesia demanded on Monday the airline apologise for negligence after a probe showed faulty equipment contributed to the accident, a year on from the tragedy that left 162 dead.

Flight QZ8501 plunged into the Java Sea in stormy weather on December 28 last year during what was supposed to be a routine flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore.

Relatives of some of the passengers, AirAsia officials and the head of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency gathered on Monday in Surabaya, the country’s second-biggest city, for a private ceremony to remember those killed in the crash. It came just weeks after Indonesian investigators’ final report showed a chronically faulty component in a rudder control system, poor maintenance and the pilots’ inadequate response were major factors in the crash. Ahead of the ceremony, an association set up by victims’ relatives to push for reform of Indonesia’s beleaguered aviation sector demanded an apology from AirAsia. “We the families demand AirAsia apologise openly to victims’ families for the negligence that has resulted in fatalities,” said a statement from the group. The statement added that the families were “surprised and shocked” the report showed the chain of events that triggered the accident was set off by “negligence” with regard to the faulty component.