As the world tries to cope with the tragic loss of almost 298 people in the alleged downing of a Malaysian Airliner MH17 plane over eastern Ukraine Thursday, questions have started to be raised on why the airlines company persisted in flying over a conflict-zone airspace, which had been abandoned by many other Asian carriers months ago, Agence France-Presse reported. The Malaysian airliner was reportedly flying at 33,000ft (10,058m) while the area where it crashed had a no-fly zone in place up to 32,000ft (9,754m).
Flights traveling between Europe and Asia, particularly Southeast Asia, are used to experiencing a crowded air corridor over Ukraine, with re-routing around the airspace meaning an increase in flight time and fuel costs. Nevertheless, when Russian troops moved into Crimea, several major Asian airlines, including South Korea's Korean Air and Asiana, Australia's Qantas and Taiwan's China Airlines, started avoiding the area since four months ago, they said Friday. "We stopped flying over Ukraine because of safety concerns," Asiana spokeswoman Lee Hyo-Min said.
Then how come Malaysia Airlines decided to throw safety and precautions out of the window and take the deadly plunge? Prime Minister Najib Razak claims that international air authorities had deemed the flight path secure. "The International Air Transportation Association has stated that the airspace the aircraft was traversing was not subject to restrictions," he said.
But analysts are divided on whether carriers like Malaysian Airlines had been negligent in opting to continue flying over such a dangerous zone, BBC News reported. "I just find it astonishing. I am absolutely flabbergasted," Geoff Dell, an air safety expert from the University of Central Queensland in Australia, told Sky News. "If there are trouble spots on the globe, then you take a decision to avoid that area. You don't put your primary assets -- your passengers, your crew, your airplane -- at risk unnecessarily."
However, every airline possesses its own level of risk assessment, Gerry Soejatman, a consultant with the Jakarta-based Whitesky Aviation chartered flight provider, said. Given the level of training and sophisticated weaponry required to shoot down a plane at such a height, flying above 30,000 is generally considered safe, he said.
"Ten years ago you'd be an idiot to fly over Iraq below 15,000 feet, but over 30,000 feet was very safe, so it's about the level of risk," Soejatman said. "I think this will send a message to airlines to have a closer look at conflict zones when they choose to fly over them and gain a better understanding of what equipment is on the ground."
Meanwhile, Air Indian and Thai Airways confirmed re-routing their flights from the same route after the Malaysian crash Thursday, according to AFP.
