MAS defends flight route over Syria
Malaysian Airlines has moved to "clarify the misunderstanding" caused by a tweet from Flightradar24 on Malaysia Airlines’ flight MH004 from Kuala Lumpur to London that flew over Syrian airspace on Sunday.
MAS said MH004’s flight plan was in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) approved routes.
Malaysia Airlines re-routed MH004 over Syrian airspace after its usual route over Ukraine was closed following the missile strike on MH17 last Thursday.
The Syrian airspace was not subject to restrictions, and the aircraft was in airspace approved by ICAO, the airline said in a statement.
Aviation commentators says the change in MH004’s route on Sunday highlights the challenge that airlines face in finding conflict-free passageways on the congested routes between Asia and Europe.
Hundreds of flights routinely crossed over Ukraine before Thursday’s incident, and it is not unusual for international airlines to overfly war zones such as Syria or Afghanistan.
However, the US Federal Aviation Administration “strongly discourages” US operators from flying to, from or over Syria, according to a May 2013 notice on its website.
Ian Jarrett
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