Union calls for AirAsia to be suspended in Australia after crash

The Transport Workers' Union is calling on the federal government to suspend all AirAsia Indonesia flights in Australia in the wake of the crash of flight QZ8501.

The union has requested an urgent audit on training and aircraft maintenance at the airline, which flies in and out of Darwin and Perth.

"We need to ensure that a rapidly expanding airline like AirAsia Indonesia is not cutting corners," TWU national secretary Tony Sheldon said.

It comes five weeks after flight QZ8501 apparently stalled and came down in the Java Sea between Indonesia and Singapore, killing all 162 people on board.

Mr Sheldon criticised delays in making a preliminary report public and said leaked information suggested poor pilot training and regulatory failure.

"AirAsia Indonesia is putting Australian lives at risk," he said.

He drew a parallel with the ban imposed on some trucking companies found to have deficient vehicles.

"Air travel is as dangerous if not more dangerous to the travelling public," he said.

The union has written to Infrastructure Minister Warren Truss demanding the Civil Aviation Safety Authority undertake an urgent audit.