MH17 news: Airlines urged to reveal flight paths to passengers

AS MH17 was shot down, 160 flights were recorded over Ukraine — now airlines are being urged to be more transparent with passengers.

AIRLINES may have to inform passengers if they plan to fly over conflict zones in the wake of the MH17 disaster in eastern Ukraine.

The Dutch Safety Board’s final report on the atrocity recommended airlines be more accountable to passengers in relation to flight routes, so that “everyone could form a judgment”.

It followed the revelation Ukraine was aware the conflict with Russian separatists had escalated into airspace but failed to appreciate the danger that posed to civilian aircraft.

On the day MH17 was shot down, 160 flights were recorded over Ukraine.

In the words of Dutch Safety Board director Tjibbe Joustra “no one gave any thought to the possible risk to civil aviation”.

“On June 6 there was a NOTAM (aviation notice) to pilots that airspace below 26,000 feet was closed because of the hostilities and on July 14, that exclusion zone was lifted to 32,000 feet,” said Mr Joustra.

During the previous month, targets flying at more than 32,000 feet had been destroyed, he said.

MORE: The most heartbreaking part of the MH17 report

Coming clean ... airlines are under pressure to reveal to passengers if their flight path will take them over a conflict zone, such as Afghanistan. Picture: Reuters/Ahmad Masood

Australian aviation lawyer Joseph Wheeler said the report recommendations would force airlines to become more discerning in their choice of flight path.

“If you’re able to go to a website and see that this particular airline flies over Baghdad, then you’ll have the choice not to use that airline,” said Mr Wheeler, Special Counsel for Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, Melbourne.

“Commercially, the dollars will add up and there’ll be an incentive for airlines to behave more safely or they will just fail to compete in the marketplace.”

Travellers can quite easily see what airlines are flying over war-torn countries on websites such as Flightradar24.com, and find information about aviation warnings at a new ICAO repository.

Although air traffic is pointedly steering clear of Syria, Iraq and eastern Ukraine, a number of major carriers could yesterday be seen over Afghanistan including British Airways, Singapore Airlines, China Airways and KLM.

Tragic end ... a reconstructed section of the Malaysia Airlines plane that was downed by a missile over Ukraine, killing 298 people. Picture: AAP

Germany, France and the US have issued warnings about potential airspace hazards in Afghanistan and recommended carriers stick to known routes, and fly above 32,000 feet.

A spokesman for British Airways said their flight plans varied frequently, but their highest and first priority was “always the safety of our customers and crew”.

“We would never fly in airspace unless we were satisfied that it was safe to do so,” he said.

Singapore Airlines said flights over Afghanistan had been cleared and assessed to be safe by the authorities responsible for the airspace.

“It should be noted that there are several parts of the world that we proactively avoid flying through, even though they may have air routes that are available for use,” said Singapore Airlines’ South-west Pacific Region spokesman Karl Schubert.

Too risky ... a pro-Russian separatist stands at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. Picture: Reuters

Qantas also reassured passengers air corridors used by the airline were “constantly monitored” in consultation with the Australian and international security community.

Concerns of a heightened risk to air traffic from Russian and American missile strikes on Syria were being monitored as well, a Qantas spokesman said.

“There is nothing to suggest any elevated risk with our current air corridors over Iran which are also used by many other airlines on a daily basis,” he said.

“Alternative flight paths (are) in place should they be required.”