NZ sends Orion to look for missing plane

New Zealand has joined the international search for the missing AirAsia plane.

Flight QZ8501, an Airbus A320, went missing on Sunday morning while travelling from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people aboard.

On Tuesday the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it has deployed a New Zealand Air Force P3 Orion to help Indonesian authorities search for the missing AirAsia plane.

The P3 Orion is expected to arrive in Darwin later on Tuesday, where it will receive further instructions from search authorities.

Australia has doubled its contribution, adding a second RAAF P3 Orion plane with specialist search equipment to the search.

The United States has sent the warship USS Sampson to join the search. Singapore and Malaysia have also sent maritime surveillance aircraft and warships to joining Indonesian planes, ships and fishing boats searching for the ill-fated aircraft.