17-flight-was-300-miles-off-
MH17 flight feared to have been shot down over Ukraine was taking a
significantly different route to the usual course for flights from Amsterdam
to Kuala Lumpur, according to aviation expert
Mr Mark's intervention came amid mounting questions over why passenger jets
were flying over the war zone three months after pilots were warned to avoid
it.
Aviation safety authorities in America and Europe warned pilots in April
about potential risks flying in or near Ukraine airspace.
Experts claimed that operators continued to fly across the zone because it
was the quickest and cheapest route for some flights.
Norman Shanks, a former head of group security at the BAA airports group,
said: "Malaysia Airlines, like a number of other carriers, has been
continuing to use it because it is a shorter route, which means less fuel
and therefore less money."
Attacks on aircraft in the area have been rife. In the past week alone two
Ukrainian military aircraft were shot down and a third was damaged by a
missile.
Eurocontrol, which coordinates European air traffic control, said Ukrainian
authorities had now closed all routes in the east of the country.
A spokesman for Malaysia Airlines said: "This route is an approved route. 15
out of 16 airlines use this route. It's a safe route - most other countries
use this route.
"So we were not given any notice to change this."
By Epictetus
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