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Why was Malaysia Airlines MH17 flying over Ukraine?

winnipegjets

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Why was Malaysia Airlines MH17 flying over Ukraine? Time, Money
Alastair Jamieson
34 Mins Ago

The likelihood that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was downed by a missile has raised questions over whether the plane should have been flying over war-torn eastern Ukraine—and could have profound consequences for air travel.

The doomed Boeing 777 was following an air traffic routing between Europe and Asia that is issued by dozens of jets a day and was in a section of air space deemed safe by international aviation authorities.

Within hours of Thursday's disaster, all air space around eastern Ukraine was shut down. But some airlines had already been avoiding the area amid concerns over the deteriorating security. Two low-flying Ukrainian aircraft—a fighter jet and a military transport plane—were shot down by pro-separatist rebels earlier this week.

Aviation regulators—including the FAA—had issued a series of notices to pilots in recent weeks prohibiting air space very close to the crash site.

"This was a very commonly used route and passenger jets fly at high altitudes over many of the world's hotspots all the time," said Norman Shanks, professor of aviation security at Britain's Coventry University. "They chose the most direct and economic flight route possible, which keeps their fuel costs down and is something we expect as customers. They were no different from any other international airline."

MH17 was flying at 33,000 feet when disaster struck—well above the trajectory of missiles commonly used by militias in ground conflict, and high enough that its routing was approved by the airline's flight planners, air traffic controllers and ultimately the pilots.

However, with pro-Russia separatists apparently in possession of surface-to-air missile, airlines might have to be more vigilant about avoiding trouble spots.

"This incident is unprecedented really," Greg Waldron, Asia managing editor Flight Global told the BBC. "A lot of the weapons used by separatists and other guerrilla groups simply don't have the range to get [to 33,000 feet], they don't have the accuracy to hit something like an airliner."

Flight plans are drawn up by airlines and pilots and submitted to air traffic controllers for approval. Ultimately, pilots fly the agreed routing—unless they receive or request adjustments from air traffic controllers while en route.

MH17's exact flight plan—a routing defined by a series of waypoints and air corridors—has not been confirmed but appears to have included airway L980, a busy section of air space that acted as an airborne freeway between northern Europe and southern Asia.

British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa and KLM are among the airlines to have used exactly the same routing over eastern Ukraine in recent days, according to website FlightRadar24.

"Fifteen out of 16 airlines in the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines fly this route over Ukraine," Malaysia's transport minister Liow Tiong Lai said Friday. "European airlines also use the same route, and traverse the same air space."

Airlines can choose to avoid these areas. Australia's Qantas stopped flying over Ukraine several months ago and shifted its London-Dubai route 400 miles to the south. Korean Air said it had rerouted cargo and passenger flights in early March amid the worsening situation over the Crimean peninsula.

On April 23, the FAA issued a Notice to Airman (NOTAM) prohibiting U.S. carriers from flying over the Crimean region and portions adjacent to the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. It didn't cover the air space where MH17 crashed. "This action was taken due to the unilateral and illegal action by Russia to assert control over Crimean air space, including international air space administered by Ukraine, without agreement by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)," the FAA said in a statement. Similar notices were issued by other countries.

Another NOTAM was issued on Tuesday prohibiting flights in an expanded area close to where MH17 crashed—but crucially it only applied to operations between 26,000 feet and 32,000 feet.

The pilots of MH17 filed a flight plan asking to fly at 35,000 feet throughout Ukrainian air space, the airline said in a statement Friday. However, upon entering Ukrainian air space, MH17 was instructed by Ukrainian air traffic controllers to fly at 33,000ft.

"MH17's flight plan was approved by Eurocontrol, who are solely responsible for determining civil aircraft flight paths over European air space," the Malaysia Airlines statement said. "Eurocontrol is the air navigation service provider for Europe and is governed under ICAO rules."

Airlines have rushed to assure passengers they are rerouting flights between Europe and Asia to avoid Ukraine entirely. In part, they have no choice because Ukraine quickly closed all air space over its eastern zone after news of MH17 broke.

Longer routings mean longer flights for passengers and higher fuel bills for airlines. Carriers may even be forced to reconsider many international routes. Airline stocks such as Lufthansa dipped in early trading in Europe Friday, Reuters reported, as major travel companies rerouted flights to avoid Ukraine.

Thomas Routh, an aviation attorney in Chicago, said it was up to airlines and pilots to decide whether a flight will be safe for crew and passengers. "There are airlines flying through Afghanistan's air space every day," Routh said.

Some of the other places that the FAA also currently warns pilots to avoid parts of include Iran, Yemen, the Sinai peninsula and North Korea. Gulf-based carrier Emirates stopped flying over parts of Syria as a civil war there expanded.

Last month, a gunman in Pakistan fired on a jetliner that was landing in Peshawar, part of the country's volatile northwest region, killing a passenger and wounding two other people. Emirates suspended flights to Peshawar, and other carriers canceled some flights while they reviewed airport security.

Greg Raiff, an aviation consultant in New Hampshire, said that if airlines must avoid flying over all the world's hot spots, flight times would be extended, requiring extra fuel and pilots. That might make some routes uneconomical, forcing airlines to abandon them.

No commercial airliner is fitted with missile defense technology because of the prohibitive cost relative to the risk. A 2008 Department for Homeland Security report outlined a feasibility study in which missile jamming technology was briefly fitted to three American Airlines Boeing 767s and to MD-10 cargo planes operated by FedEx.

—By NBC News' Alastair Jamieson. The Associated
 

Jar Jar Binks

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20140718-ukranina01.png



 

ginfreely

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No wonder I heard before Qantas is the safest. So Korea air is also very safety conscious.

"Australia's Qantas stopped flying over Ukraine several months ago and shifted its London-Dubai route 400 miles to the south. Korean Air said it had rerouted cargo and passenger flights in early March amid the worsening situation over the Crimean peninsula."
 

steffychun

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You people are so cock. All airlines travelling to Europe and back pass over Iraq/Afghanistan and Eastern/Central Europe. Learn your FACTS!
 

rushifa666

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Learn yours. There are airlines who have stopped using that route after the war declaration. The blood is on MAS hands. Imagine if it had been SQ who was only half an hour away.
 

steffychun

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Learn yours. There are airlines who have stopped using that route after the war declaration. The blood is on MAS hands. Imagine if it had been SQ who was only half an hour away.

Learn yours. All other airlines were flying in the vincity as the thread shows SQ was nearby.
 

winnipegjets

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Learn yours. There are airlines who have stopped using that route after the war declaration. The blood is on MAS hands. Imagine if it had been SQ who was only half an hour away.

British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa and KLM are among the airlines to have used exactly the same routing over eastern Ukraine in recent days, according to website FlightRadar24.

"Fifteen out of 16 airlines in the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines fly this route over Ukraine," Malaysia's transport minister Liow Tiong Lai said Friday. "European airlines also use the same route, and traverse the same air space."
 

steffychun

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British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa and KLM are among the airlines to have used exactly the same routing over eastern Ukraine in recent days, according to website FlightRadar24.

"Fifteen out of 16 airlines in the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines fly this route over Ukraine," Malaysia's transport minister Liow Tiong Lai said Friday. "European airlines also use the same route, and traverse the same air space."

SIA flew over Afghanistan during the height of the conflict and still does. Remember the SIA plane that had to be diverted to a Central Asian country?

All planes travel across war zones.
 

looneytan

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SIA flew over Afghanistan during the height of the conflict and still does.....
All planes travel across war zones.

Thai just announce the reroute

during Vietnam war, flights to Hong Kong could fly over the territory but the pilots must bring the planes down low low and waved to VietCong not to shoot
 

frenchbriefs

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u know why they fly over ukraine???

BECAUSE WE ARE EAST BOUND AND DOWN....LOADED UP AND TRUCKIN....WE GONNA DO WHAT THEY SAY CANT BE DONE.....WE GOT A LONG WAY TO GO AND A SHORT TIME TO GET THERE....WE EAST BOUND WATCH OL BANDIT RUN!!!!!!!! YYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAAWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!

[video=youtube;uHZJej98_T0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHZJej98_T0[/video]
 

garlic

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Just a thought.....

Could this tragedy been created by interested parties against Russia, who wants the whole of europe to take tougher stance on Russia, seeing how the earlier sanctions have failed to bother Russia at all? Furthermore, with the focus on Israel's unprovoked violence on Gaza being under the spotlight and how unbalance the war is (situation there is fast becoming a humanitarian crisis), this downing of a plane will draw the focus away from the Gaza invasion (e.g. CNN has focused more on the downing now). Also, with the Ukrainian govt getting hold of "intercepted" conversations so rapidly, it adds on to the whole idea that this was choreographed somewhat, coming just one day after new sanctions were imposed on Russia.

It all just seems so coincidental and so familiar...
 

syed putra

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I dunno why everyone blaming the airlines. The sole responsibility for the safety of the airsapce goes to ukraine. If they cannot guarantee the safety of the airspace, they should close it. But they did not.and all south east asian airline continue to use this traditional flight path.
Why ukraine did not close their airspace is a mystery. But they could be using airlines as a decoy to hide their military flights. In fact MH17 was asked to lower their altitude to 32k ft.from 35k over ukraine.
Then after all these questions are answered, you can blame the airlines. All south east asian airline continue to use this traditional flight paths despite the shooting downs of aircraft. They were pawn in the war and they fell for it.
 

syed putra

Alfrescian
Loyal
Just a thought.....

Could this tragedy been created by interested parties against Russia, who wants the whole of europe to take tougher stance on Russia, seeing how the earlier sanctions have failed to bother Russia at all? Furthermore, with the focus on Israel's unprovoked violence on Gaza being under the spotlight and how unbalance the war is (situation there is fast becoming a humanitarian crisis), this downing of a plane will draw the focus away from the Gaza invasion (e.g. CNN has focused more on the downing now). Also, with the Ukrainian govt getting hold of "intercepted" conversations so rapidly, it adds on to the whole idea that this was choreographed somewhat, coming just one day after new sanctions were imposed on Russia.

It all just seems so coincidental and so familiar...

My thoughts exactly. MAS flight was asked to lower altitude by 3000 ft over Ukraine by flight control.
 

Sinkie

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So, are there any planes still flying over Ukaraine now?

They must tell the passengers if they're using the same dangerous route over Ukraine.
 
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