Tuesday, July 22, 2014

MAS plane flies over war-torn Syria

Airbus_A380-841,_Malaysia_Airlines_AN2208844KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines defended itself after confirming that it diverted a London to Kuala Lumpur flight over Syrian airspace when its usual route over Ukraine was closed in the wake of Thursday’s MH17 crash.
MAS said in a statement late yesterday that MH004′s flight path was in accordance with the routes approved by the United Nations’ aviation agency International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
“As per the notice to airmen (NOTAM) issued by the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority, the Syrian airspace was not subject to restrictions. At all times, MH004 was in airspace approved by the ICAO,” it said.
Dozens of airlines previously flying over crisis-stricken eastern Ukraine abandoned the well-used route between Asia and Europe after MH17 crashed, apparently shot down by a surface-to-air missile.
Previous MH004 Airbus A380s have flown over Turkey, according to air traffic tracker Flightradar24.
But it posted on Twitter yesterday that Sunday’s flight flew over war-torn Syria, where the conflict is raging both on the ground and in the air.
“As far as we have seen #MH004 was the only transcontinental flight going over Syria,” it wrote on its @flightradar24 Twitter account.
MH17 crashed over eastern Ukraine – where the military has been fighting pro-Russian separatists – on Thursday on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with 283 passengers and 15 crew aboard. – AFP

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