BA defends decision to fly over Iraq
British Airways insists it is safe for its passenger jets to fly over Iraq even though other airlines are avoiding the country due to fears from Islamic militants on the ground.
Qantas has become the latest airline to divert planes to avoid flying through Iraqi airspace, joining a growing list of carriers that have opted to fly round the country.
However, Willie Walsh, chief executive of BA parent IAG, said the airline’s flights from London to a number of destinations including Dubai and Doha would continue to cross Iraq airspace.
He told the Financial Times:"We fly over Iraq because we consider it safe. If we thought Iraq was unsafe we would not fly over Iraq."
BA said it would be reviewing its decision on a daily basis.
"Our flight plans vary depending on a number of factors but our highest and first priority is always the safety of our crew and customers," it said in a statement.
British pilots last week called on the UK Government to take a lead in the international debate on the safety of airlines flying over conflict zones following the downing of Malaysia Airlines MH17 over Ukraine.
BA had been avoiding flying over the Ukraine for several months before the crash, but the British Airline Pilots’ Association said it should not be left to individual airlines to decide whether or not a particular route was safe.
However, Walsh said airlines should be able to carry out their own risk assessments about flying over warzones because they had different operations and aircraft.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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