Asia
2 January 2015
Last updated at 13:25 ET
Here are some of their stories.
The pilot: Captain Iriyanto
Capt Iriyanto (L) pictured with friends
Capt Iriyanto, an Indonesian national, has been described as an
experienced airman, who was a fighter pilot before going into
commercial aviation.
AirAsia Indonesia said he had logged 20,537 hours of flight time, 6,053 of which were with AirAsia.
Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) said that after leaving the Indonesian Air Force, Capt Iriyanto became a commercial pilot with Merpati Airways. He then joined Adam Air - which had a plane crash on the island of Sulawesi in 2007 and went bankrupt in 2008 - before moving to AirAsia.
His father told the BBC on Monday that he was heartbroken at the possibility that his son might not come back alive.
He had seen him just the previous week at the funeral of another of his sons who had died of complications related to diabetes.
Edy Novianto was a friend of the pilot's - both were in a club for motorcycle enthusiasts.
"Iriyanto joined our club in 2009," he told the BBC, as he visited the family home to pay his respects.
"He had a passion for motor bikes. He was a very safe rider and he taught us the importance of discipline.
"He was inspiring to the group because he was such a nice, friendly, generous man. We will miss him but we still feel his presence with us."
The co-pilot: First Officer Remi Emmanuel Plesel
Remi Plesel (L) had always wanted to be a pilot
The co-pilot was a 46-year-old French national who was born in
the Caribbean territory of Martinique and lived in Paris. He had 2,275
hours of flight experience.
Speaking from Martinique, Plesel's mother Rolande told the French newspaper Le Parisien: "He wanted to be a pilot ever since he was a child."
She said he was "very attached to his mother" and telephoned her every time he took a flight. On Saturday, they had a video chat because he wanted to see their Christmas decorations, she added.
Ms Plesel told French media there that his girlfriend called on Sunday to tell her about the missing flight.
Remi Plesel studied in Paris and worked as an engineer for the Total oil company before leaving to pursue his dream of becoming a pilot, Martinique 1ere reported.
He was the vice-president of an association of professional pilots from the Caribbean and had worked as a pilot in Indonesia for three years, Le Parisien said.
Flight attendant Khairunisa Haidar
Haidar Fauzie holds up a picture of his daughter Khairunisa Haidar
Khairunisa Haidar was a flight attendant on QZ8501. The
22-year-old, who is also known as Nisa, studied law at university and
had been working with the airline for the last two years.
Her father, Haidar Fauzi, told AP news agency: "She is beautiful and smart. It has always been her dream to fly. We couldn't have stopped her."
Khairunisa Haidar had recently posted a photo on her Instagram account of the view from a plane, with a hand-written note that read: "I love you from 38000 ft".
Her family said they had been expecting her to visit in early January for her brother's birthday.
"Nisa was a good girl. She had always showed compassion to the family. She often sent money she got from working as a flight attendant to her mum," her father told the Jakarta Post.
Chi-Man Choi
Mr Choi was on flight QZ8501 with his two-year-old daughter,
Zoe, a Singaporean citizen. It is believed that his wife and son had
taken an earlier flight to Singapore because the family had been unable
to get four seats together.
Originally from Hull, the 48-year-old studied engineering at the University of Essex.
Mr Choi lived in Singapore but worked in Indonesia as a managing director of thermal services for electronics manufacturing firm Alstom Power.
His parents, who are from Hong Kong, still live in Hull. Mr Choi is also understood to have a brother and sister in the UK.
In his LinkedIn profile, former colleagues praised Mr Choi for his experience in multicultural work environments, saying he communicated well with people from different cultures.
Jo Indri, Charlie Gunawan, Jie Steven Gunawan,
Jie Stephanie Gunawan, Kayla Audrey Gunawan, Kenneth Mathew Gunawan,
Hendra Gunawan Syawal
Stephanie Gunawan (R) with friend Ayu Nirmala Putri
Jo Indri had decided to go to Singapore with five members of her family, Channel News Asia reported.
Her daughter explained that they had all been too busy to celebrate Christmas together.
Speaking before the wreckage of plane was found, she said: "There was not enough time to even go to the cinema."
"I am not too concerned but my nephew dreamt of Jo Indri wearing a very beautiful dress. Hopefully, it is not a bad sign."
Among the Gunawan family party was 21-year-old marketing student Stephanie.
Her university friend Ayu Nirmala Putri told the BBC she was a tough girl who cared deeply for her friends.
"I feel so lost, I love her very much. She was like a sister to me and I still hope that there is a miracle from God," Ms Putri said.
Bhima Aly Wicaksana
Career-focused 31-year-old entrepreneur Bhima Aly Wicaksana was making his first overseas trip to Singapore.
His mother, Sribudi Siswardani, told the BBC: "He was so excited about it. He bought new shoes, new clothes and new trousers."
He loved reading books and playing computer games, and his big passions were teaching young people and building his online clothes-selling business.
Park Seong-beom and Lee Kyung-hwa
This South Korean couple were Christian missionaries who
worked in Indonesia. They were travelling to Singapore with their baby
daughter to renew their visas.
Mr Park and his family were from Yeosu, a fishing village 450km (280 miles) south of Seoul.
"It had been only two months since he settled in Indonesia and he was in the middle of learning the local language," Kim Jong Heon, a pastor at Yeosu First Presbyterian Church, told Bloomberg.
"He didn't mind evangelising as an ordinary Christian, because he was passionate about his work and wanted to help people in any way he could."
Mr Park also taught Korean and computer skills.
Before their arrival in Indonesia in September, the couple had lived in Cambodia for four years.
Maria Florentina Widodo
Maria Widodo, a 26-year-old Indonesian national, was a biology teacher at Singapore's Hwa Chong Institution, Singapore's Straits Times reported. She was known to family and friends as Tina.
Ms Widodo graduated from Singapore's National Institute of Education last year.
Grayson Herbert Linaksita
Grayson Herbert Linaksita was thought to have been flying with two family members
Grayson Herbert Linaksita, an 11-year-old boy, was believed to have been travelling with his parents and 12-year-old sister.
His great-uncle Bagyono Linaksita, 73, told AFP that he did not want to break the news to the boy's grandmother, as she was devoted to him.
"She doted on her two grandchildren and would send and fetch them from school every day," he said.
"Grayson was her favourite grandchild, she will certainly faint."
Ruth Natalia Puspitasari and her fiance, Bob Hartanto Wijaya
Ms Puspitasari was due to celebrate her 26th birthday in
Singapore on Monday with her fiance, Mr Wijaya, and his parents, the
UK's Independent newspaper reported.
Ms Puspitasari, an economics student, met Mr Wijaya while studying at Petra Christian University in Surabaya, and had recently moved to Guangzhou province in China.
Mr Wijaya was the co-owner of a toy shop in his hometown of Malang, the Independent added.
Yuni Astutik
Ms Astutik, 40, had worked for years as a maid in Singapore.
She returned to Indonesia to attend a wedding last month, Channel News Asia reported, citing an employment agent who had travelled to the airport to give her a work permit.
Kevin Alexander Soetjipto
Mr Soetjipto's friends said they were devastated by the news of his death
Mr Soetjipto was on a family holiday when the plane crashed. He
was a commerce student at Melbourne's Monash University in Australia.
The university said that his loss would be deeply felt by students and staff.
Randy Mikha Sampe Pajung, outgoing president of the Monash Indonesian Students Association, said the news was "devastating".
"We, as Kevin's friends in the community, held hopes that the search would bring some hope, however we are now heartbroken at the loss of our friend," he said, adding: "We must now pay tribute to all of those affected."
Nico Giovanni
The 18-year-old had recently finished his first year at
Singapore's St Andrew's Junior College, an Anglo-Chinese school, on a
scholarship from Singapore's education ministry.
A friend told the Straits Times that Mr Giovanni was "very reserved" but "hard-working and respectful". It is believed he was on the plane with his parents and a brother.
Hayati Lutfiah Hamid
Ms Hamid, 47, was the first victim to be identified on Thursday.
Her 10-year-old daughter, husband and mother-in-law are all believed to have been on the plane with her.
She was an Indonesian primary school teacher who was going to Singapore on holiday, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
by Xian Wan and Biodun Iginla, BBC Newsbeat Online
Indonesia
has confirmed AirAsia flight QZ8501, which went missing 28 December en
route from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore, crashed into the Java
Sea.
The Airbus A320-200 was carrying seven crew and 155
passengers, including 17 children and a baby. Almost all of them were
Indonesians, with the exception of a South Korean family of three, the
French co-pilot, one Briton, one Singaporean and a Malaysian. Here are some of their stories.
Capt Iriyanto (L) pictured with friends
AirAsia Indonesia said he had logged 20,537 hours of flight time, 6,053 of which were with AirAsia.
Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) said that after leaving the Indonesian Air Force, Capt Iriyanto became a commercial pilot with Merpati Airways. He then joined Adam Air - which had a plane crash on the island of Sulawesi in 2007 and went bankrupt in 2008 - before moving to AirAsia.
His father told the BBC on Monday that he was heartbroken at the possibility that his son might not come back alive.
He had seen him just the previous week at the funeral of another of his sons who had died of complications related to diabetes.
Edy Novianto was a friend of the pilot's - both were in a club for motorcycle enthusiasts.
"Iriyanto joined our club in 2009," he told the BBC, as he visited the family home to pay his respects.
"He had a passion for motor bikes. He was a very safe rider and he taught us the importance of discipline.
"He was inspiring to the group because he was such a nice, friendly, generous man. We will miss him but we still feel his presence with us."
Remi Plesel (L) had always wanted to be a pilot
Speaking from Martinique, Plesel's mother Rolande told the French newspaper Le Parisien: "He wanted to be a pilot ever since he was a child."
She said he was "very attached to his mother" and telephoned her every time he took a flight. On Saturday, they had a video chat because he wanted to see their Christmas decorations, she added.
Ms Plesel told French media there that his girlfriend called on Sunday to tell her about the missing flight.
Remi Plesel studied in Paris and worked as an engineer for the Total oil company before leaving to pursue his dream of becoming a pilot, Martinique 1ere reported.
He was the vice-president of an association of professional pilots from the Caribbean and had worked as a pilot in Indonesia for three years, Le Parisien said.
Haidar Fauzie holds up a picture of his daughter Khairunisa Haidar
Her father, Haidar Fauzi, told AP news agency: "She is beautiful and smart. It has always been her dream to fly. We couldn't have stopped her."
Khairunisa Haidar had recently posted a photo on her Instagram account of the view from a plane, with a hand-written note that read: "I love you from 38000 ft".
Her family said they had been expecting her to visit in early January for her brother's birthday.
"Nisa was a good girl. She had always showed compassion to the family. She often sent money she got from working as a flight attendant to her mum," her father told the Jakarta Post.
Originally from Hull, the 48-year-old studied engineering at the University of Essex.
Mr Choi lived in Singapore but worked in Indonesia as a managing director of thermal services for electronics manufacturing firm Alstom Power.
His parents, who are from Hong Kong, still live in Hull. Mr Choi is also understood to have a brother and sister in the UK.
In his LinkedIn profile, former colleagues praised Mr Choi for his experience in multicultural work environments, saying he communicated well with people from different cultures.
Stephanie Gunawan (R) with friend Ayu Nirmala Putri
Her daughter explained that they had all been too busy to celebrate Christmas together.
Speaking before the wreckage of plane was found, she said: "There was not enough time to even go to the cinema."
"I am not too concerned but my nephew dreamt of Jo Indri wearing a very beautiful dress. Hopefully, it is not a bad sign."
Among the Gunawan family party was 21-year-old marketing student Stephanie.
"She was my best friend"
"I feel so lost, I love her very much. She was like a sister to me and I still hope that there is a miracle from God," Ms Putri said.
"He had a big collection of books and his passion was teaching"
His mother, Sribudi Siswardani, told the BBC: "He was so excited about it. He bought new shoes, new clothes and new trousers."
He loved reading books and playing computer games, and his big passions were teaching young people and building his online clothes-selling business.
Mr Park and his family were from Yeosu, a fishing village 450km (280 miles) south of Seoul.
"It had been only two months since he settled in Indonesia and he was in the middle of learning the local language," Kim Jong Heon, a pastor at Yeosu First Presbyterian Church, told Bloomberg.
"He didn't mind evangelising as an ordinary Christian, because he was passionate about his work and wanted to help people in any way he could."
Mr Park also taught Korean and computer skills.
Before their arrival in Indonesia in September, the couple had lived in Cambodia for four years.
Ms Widodo graduated from Singapore's National Institute of Education last year.
Grayson Herbert Linaksita was thought to have been flying with two family members
His great-uncle Bagyono Linaksita, 73, told AFP that he did not want to break the news to the boy's grandmother, as she was devoted to him.
"She doted on her two grandchildren and would send and fetch them from school every day," he said.
"Grayson was her favourite grandchild, she will certainly faint."
Ms Puspitasari, an economics student, met Mr Wijaya while studying at Petra Christian University in Surabaya, and had recently moved to Guangzhou province in China.
Mr Wijaya was the co-owner of a toy shop in his hometown of Malang, the Independent added.
She returned to Indonesia to attend a wedding last month, Channel News Asia reported, citing an employment agent who had travelled to the airport to give her a work permit.
Mr Soetjipto's friends said they were devastated by the news of his death
The university said that his loss would be deeply felt by students and staff.
Randy Mikha Sampe Pajung, outgoing president of the Monash Indonesian Students Association, said the news was "devastating".
"We, as Kevin's friends in the community, held hopes that the search would bring some hope, however we are now heartbroken at the loss of our friend," he said, adding: "We must now pay tribute to all of those affected."
A friend told the Straits Times that Mr Giovanni was "very reserved" but "hard-working and respectful". It is believed he was on the plane with his parents and a brother.
Her 10-year-old daughter, husband and mother-in-law are all believed to have been on the plane with her.
She was an Indonesian primary school teacher who was going to Singapore on holiday, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
AirAsia crash
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What we know so far about the disappearance of AirAsia flight QZ8501, which crashed into the Java Sea off Borneo on 28 December.What we know so far
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Air France lessons
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'She was my best friend'
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Does bad weather cause crashes?
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Man behind AirAsia
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What is AirAsia?
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Briton on flight named
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Air incidents timeline
Watch
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Hundreds of people have attended a vigil in the Indonesian city of Surabaya to remember those killed on flight AirAsia QZ8501.Surabaya vigil for AirAsia victims
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'It was his first trip overseas'
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'I was booked on flight'
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Relatives 'were hoping for a miracle'
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Weather hampers plane recovery
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Pilot 'humble and professional'
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Pilot's father: I want my son back
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QZ8501 'may have stalled' mid-climb
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AirAsia boss Fernandes 'devastated'
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Plane 'wanted route change'
'It was his first trip overseas'