Michael Bachelard Google+
Michael Bachelard is Fairfax Media's Indonesia correspondent. A former political reporter and workplace relations writer, he was awarded a Jefferson Fellowship in journalism in 2005. He is the author of Behind The Exclusive Brethren.
AirAsia flight QZ8501: faces from a lost flight
Michael Bachelard, Pangkalanbun, and Matt O'Sullivan The only job of QZ8501 trainee flight attendant Khairunisa Haidar Fauzi was to make her customers feel calm, comfortable and pampered.
AirAsia flight QZ8501: 30 bodies recovered after six days of searching
Michael Bachelard Rescue officials have recovered 30 bodies, some still strapped to their seats, by the sixth day of search operations for the missing Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501.
AirAsia flight QZ8501: First victim positively identified as Surabaya teacher
Michael Bachelard Disaster Victim Identification crews have positively identified victim 001 of AirAsia’s crashed flight QZ8501.
AirAsia flight's behaviour 'on the edge of logic'
Michael Bachelard The AirAsia jet in which 162 people lost their lives this week behaved in ways “bordering on the edge of logic” according to Indonesian aviation analyst Gerry Soejatman citing leaked...
Divers prepare to enter wreck of AirAsia QZ8501
Michael Bachelard Search and rescue crews hope to take their first look at the fuselage of downed AirAsia jet QZ8501 early on New Year's Day as weather has eased enough to allow divers to swim down to the wreck site.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501: The world's focus turns to the ordinary travellers on board doomed flight
Michael Bachelard When they went aloft in AirAsia’s flight QZ8501 early on Sunday morning, they were ordinary, unremarkable people.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501: Bodies recovered as bad weather hampers search
Michael Bachelard Two bodies of the seven so far recovered from the crashed AirAsia flight have arrived at the military airport of Surabaya on Wednesday afternoon.
AirAsia wreckage confirms the worst for victims' families
Michael Bachelard A man who lost seven members of his family in the AirAsia tragedy says confirmation that flight QZ8501 had crashed had at least given them some certainty.
AirAsia flight QZ8501: 'Unique weather' may have caused plane crash, says CEO
Michael Bachelard AirAsia CEO says the plane crash that killed 155 passengers and seven crew can be blamed squarely on bad weather.
Missing AirAsia flight: wrap
Michael Bachelard Hopes of locating the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 were raised when debris was spotted by an aircraft on Tuesday afternoon.
Debris is from missing AirAsia flight QZ8501, Indonesia confirms
Michael Bachelard The mystery of AirAsia flight QZ8501 has been solved with the news from Indonesian authorities that the wreckage of the plane has been found in shallow water, and all 162 passengers are presumed dead.
No sign of missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 as search area expands
Michael Bachelard Every lead in the search for the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 has been ruled out so far as Indonesian authorities virtually doubled the search area on Tuesday morning.
Indonesia delays executions as search continues for AirAsia plane
Michael Bachelard With the eyes of the world watching Indonesia during the search for the missing AirAsia plane, the country's Attorney-General has quietly delayed plans to execute five or six prisoners before New...
AirAsia flight QZ8501: final communications from pilot of missing plane revealed
Michael Bachelard The final communications between the pilot of ill-fated flight QZ8501 and air traffic control have been revealed as Indonesian naval vessels moved late last night to check new reports of an oil slick...
Missing AirAsia flight presumed crashed as hopes fade of finding survivors
Michael Bachelard Australia has joined the search and rescue mission for missing AirAsia flight QZ8501, with hopes of finding any of the 162 on board alive fading rapidly
AirAsia Flight QZ8501: Search for missing plane resumes
Michael Bachelard The search for missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 began at 6am local time as rescuers hope for better weather than yesterday.
Family's lucky escape from doomed AirAsia flight QZ 8501
Michael Bachelard AS Christianawati raced late into Surabaya airport to catch her flight on Sunday morning, she felt like the unluckiest woman in the world.
AirAsia flight from Indonesia to Singapore loses contact
Michael Bachelard A search and rescue operation is underway after AirAsia flight QZ 8501 from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore with 162 people onboard lost contact with air traffic control on Sunday.
Tsunami left lasting sorrow in Indonesia's Aceh
Michael Bachelard The tsunami hit Aceh harder than anywhere else in the world, and a decade later the sorrow is still raw although many in the religious province believe that sin brought the disaster down on their...
Indonesian cleaners found guilty of raping children at Jakarta school
Michael Bachelard Indonesian cleaners accused of raping three children at the exclusive Jakarta Intercultural School have been found guilty and sentenced to seven- and eight-year prison sentences.
