Pilots urge UK government to act now to prevent repeat of MH17

UK pilots are seeking an urgent meeting with the Government following the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 to ensure more passenger aircraft don’t become targets.

The flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed after being hit by a missile as it flew over the Ukraine. Afterwards, it emerged that while some airlines had been avoiding the conflict zone they had not been told it was unsafe to fly over the Ukraine.

The British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) welcomed news that a United Nation’s body is establishing a new task force to look into airspace safety over conflict zones, but said the UK Government needed to act quickly to ensure the safety of UK passengers.

It said ICAO, the body responsible for international air safety, was still a long way from a solution. "BALPA has welcomed the fact that the UN body has at least acknowledged that there is a problem with the current system that is supposed to protect passengers and crew from becoming targets," it said.

"We will await more details of the working group in due course including confirmation that pilot representatives will be involved because the ultimate decision about whether to fly or not is the Captain’s on the day.
 
"We note that groups such as the one announced today are in any case often slow and ponderous and so we are asking what can be done now. 

"We are therefore calling on the UK Government to show leadership in ensuring the safety of UK passengers whichever airline they are flying with and wherever in the world."

 BALPA is pushing the Government for a joint Department for Transport and BALPA summit on the issue to involve all parts of the British aviation industry including pilots, the Civil Aviation Authority, airlines, air traffic management, Health and Safety Executive and the national aviation security committee.
 
Rather than individual airlines being left to decide flight paths over and around war zones according to their own risk assessments, BALPA said it wants the ICAO working group to ensure all intelligence regarding air safety is gathered and shared at a global level and that airlines are given the same data, intelligence and guidance.

"Pilots carry the ultimate responsibility of the safety of every plane and every passenger so must be actively involved in discussions to improve safety and security of aviation and have access to the information," it said.

"Pilots need to know when they plot their flight paths that the guidance on safe areas is independent of any interests other than flight safety.

"BALPA general secretary Jim McAuslan added: "It is reassuring that the UN aviation body and airlines accept that there is a problem with the lack of clear, uniform rules and information guiding pilots on when they should not fly over conflict areas. 

"What we need now is action from the working group.  The flawed current system allowed 298 innocent passengers, pilots and crew to become targets in a war and pilots want to see a solid and serious solution to stop this ever happening again.

"We will be asking the British Government to lead the way and urgently push for a safety-first approach that would protect British passengers whatever airline they are flying with and wherever they are travelling."