Indonesia AirAsia, the budget operator of the A320 flying as QZ8501 that crashed into the Java Sea on 27 December 2014 was not licensed to fly the Surabaya-Singapore route on Sundays, the day it crashed, resulting in a route suspension by Indonesian authorities.

A spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation (Kementerian Perhubungan; KP) said that the airline was licensed to fly the Surabaya-Singapore route on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays – but not Sundays.

“As of January 2, 2015, the licence of Surabaya-Singapore (return) route to Indonesia AirAsia is temporarily frozen until after there is a result of evaluation and investigation,” said Indonesia’s Transport Ministry spokesperson Julius Adravida Barata.