Should Malaysia jet have flown over Ukraine? By Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN July 21, 2014 -- Updated 0254 GMT (1054 HKT) STORY HIGHLIGHTS Malaysia Airlines executive on planes route: Weve flown it safely for quite some time Now, he says, the airline is reassessing the route Analysts say the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 could lead to new guidelines (CNN) -- Why was Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 flying over war-torn eastern Ukraine? We, along with hundreds of other airlines, have flown that route safely for quite some time, Hugh Dunleavy, commercial director for Malaysia Airlines, told CNNs Saima Mohsin over the weekend. Primarily we flew that route because we were advised that this was a safe corridor and there would be no incidents. Dunleavy said the plane, which was traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, adjusted its altitude on its way across Europe under the direction of air traffic control. Now, he said the airline is reassessing the route it uses for that flight. And since Thursdays crash, commercial airlines that usually cross eastern Ukraine on their flights to Europe, Asia and elsewhere have been detouring away from the volatile region. But far beyond Ukraines borders, analysts say the incident could pave the way for new guidelines for how close planes can fly to conflict zones. The rules in aviation are written in blood, or a tombstone mentality if you like, CNN aviation analyst Miles OBrien said. What happens is, people die, and things get safer. David Soucie, a CNN safety analyst and former FAA safety inspector, said the situation highlights the need for change in an antiquated system that has what he calls a flaw in the evaluation of the risk. There had been aircraft shot down just prior to this, Soucie said. Someone should have taken action. Last week Eurocontrol, the agency responsible for coordinating European airspace, said Ukrainian authorities had closed airspace in the region below 32,000 feet, but it was open at the level Flight 17 was flying (33,000 feet). Theres a lot of questions to be asked in a lot of different places, OBrien said. Malaysia, for example, what about the airline policy? What did they inform crews and flight dispatchers about flying through that particular part of the world? And why didnt government officials close off that airspace completely? 32,000 feet, thats a completely arbitrary number. The president of Dubais Emirates airline is calling for an international meeting of carriers to come up with a response to the downing of the plane, Reuters reported on Sunday. The U.N.s International Civil Aviation Organization cant close airspace, Emirates President Tim Clark told Reuters, but they can issue advisories and they may be a little more active. And national regulators may start getting involved a little more than they have, Clark said, according to Reuters. They have perhaps left airlines to their own devices. The airline chiefs comments are a good sign that changes soon could be in the works, OBrien said. Les Abend, a CNN aviation analyst and commercial pilot, said before last weeks crash, pilots werent worried about missiles hitting planes they were flying. None of us, I think, would have conceived that kind of devastation from a surface-to-air missile, he said. Evading missiles (is) not part of our training. Thats just something thats not in our vocabulary at this point and time. But now, he said, guidelines for pilots will likely change. Now weve got a new threat that weve got to deal with, he said. Now weve lost lives.
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 12:57:24 +0000
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