AirAsia has replaced its signature red logo to gray on its social media accounts. Screengrab from AirAsia’s Twitter page
MANILA, Philippines—AirAsia has earned the ire of several netizens as it changed its signature red logo and cover photo on its social media accounts to gray as the search for the missing QZ8501 flight from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore continues.
The color change on the company’s official Facebook and Twitter accounts was implemented after AirAsia confirmed that the plane has lost contact with air traffic.
Some Facebook users commented that the color change in the company’s logo and cover photo suggests that the 162 persons onboard the plane have already died.
“Not sure if that’s a tasteful move when you don’t even know if the people are alive or not. Somehow you declare them dead already,” said a Facebook user named Ingo Vogelmann.
“WTF…why you put grey? There is still hope,” added Lau King Chung.
“So fast change to grey? Seriously!!!!” said Munchy Chew on Facebook.
“U should not change logo to black color. It makes people so sad. :’(” added Khamlu Varlaintai.
Other netizens, however, defended the airline’s move, stating that the color change is a sign of respect.
“They changed grey doesn’t meant they gave up or something happen. AA feel very sad. So we need to keep it up and trust mircale will happen! Let’s pray!” said a ceratin Francis Kua.
“Does anybody think that maybe the reason for the change is, that there is a plane missing,so all happy clappy cheerful pictures are not really good at this time?” said Barney Wolf T.
“They also don’t know what happen, so why you guys have to know first? They change logo colour bcoz of the news, do they say any one dead ? If they do not change, somebody will say air asia not respect people, but when they do, people also said. Shame on you all. Just know how to talk2 infront fb only,” added Facebook user Miezan Aimie Cotton Crush.
Many Facebook and Twitter users also offered their prayers asking for the safety of the 162 people on board the said plane.
Meanwhile, in an updated statement, AirAsia said that the pilot of the QZ8501 flight requested deviation from the scheduled flight plan due to an “enroute weather.”
“The aircraft was on the submitted flight plan route and was requesting deviation due to enroute weather before communication with the aircraft was lost while it was still under the control of the Indonesian Air Traffic Control (ATC),” the statement read.
The airline company also released information with regard to the flying hours incurred by the captain in command and first officer.
“The captain in command had a total of 6,100 flying hours and the first officer a total of 2,275 flying hours,” the statement added.
AirAsia confirmed that there are 162 passengers on board the QZ8501 flight: 155 passengers and seven crew members.
The QZ8501 flight took off at 5:35 a.m. (Surabaya local time) and lost contact at 7:24 a.m. Sunday. It was supposed to arrive in Singapore at 8:30 a.m.
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