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Aviation officials call for anti-air weapons law, better threat data
by Staff Writers
Montreal (AFP) July 29, 2014


Australia's Qantas to continue flying over Iraq
Sydney (AFP) July 29, 2014 - Australian airline Qantas said Tuesday it would continue flying over Iraqi airspace, despite alliance partner Emirates deciding to alter its routes over concerns about jihadist missile attacks following the MH17 crash.

Qantas said while it no longer flew over Syria or Ukraine over fears their airspace could be "unsafe", "there is no information to suggest that there is risk to commercial aircraft passing over Iraq, particularly at the altitudes we fly".

"Qantas is one of many airlines that currently flies over parts of Iraq en route to Europe," the airline's chief pilot Dick Tobiano said in a statement.

The carrier said its average altitude over the Middle East region was about 38,000 to 41,000 feet, far exceeding the US Federal Aviation Administration's recommendation of above 20,000 feet.

"Qantas would never compromise its passengers or crew by flying over an area if we thought it was unsafe," Tobiano added.

"We will continue to monitor the situation closely and make any changes needed to ensure the safety of our passengers."

The risks of overflying combat zones has taken centre stage following the deaths of 298 people on board the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 after it was apparently shot down by a missile above rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine.

Emirates' president Tim Clark told London's The Times newspaper in an interview published Monday his airline would stop flying over Iraq. He also predicted that other carriers would re-route their flights.

"This is a political animal but ... the fact of the matter is MH17 changed everything, and that was very nearly in European airspace," Clark said.

Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways said in a statement it, like Qantas, would continue to fly over Iraq at this stage, adding that the "nature of the current security environment in Iraq is significantly different than in the Ukraine".

Aviation officials called for better dissemination of flight risks and a UN law restricting anti-aircraft weapons use, at an emergency meeting Tuesday on the downing of Flight MH17 over Ukraine.

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Secretary General Raymond Benjamin and International Air Transport Association (IATA) Director Tony Tyler told a press conference in Montreal that both steps are urgently needed to fill gaps in airline safety in the wake of the MH17 disaster.

"MH17 has demonstrated that powerful and sophisticated anti-aircraft weaponry is in the hands of non-state industries," said Tyler, who represents 240 airlines.

"Civil aircrafts are instruments of peace and they should never be the target of weapons of war."

Tyler pointed to international conventions on lethal chemical, nuclear and biological weapons, among others.

"But there's no international law or convention that imposes on states a duty to manage the design, manufacture, and deployment of anti-aircraft weapons," he lamented.

He added, however, "I am confident that we can find ways to augment the international law framework to ensure that states fully understand and discharge their responsibilities in this regard."

Tyler said airlines also "need clear and accurate information on which to base operational decisions on where and when it's safe to fly.

"And in the case of MH17, airlines were told that flights above 32,000 feet that go through Ukraine would not be in harm's way and we now know how wrong that was."

"It's essential that airlines have clear guidance for threats for their passengers, crew and aircraft."

States are responsible for providing that information, officials noted. "There can be no excuses," Tyler said.

But the aviation industry is ready to assist in the dissemination of this information, he added.

"Even sensitive information can be sanitized in a way that ensures that airlines get essential and actionable information without compromising their sources," he said.

The Malaysia Airlines plane was blown out of the sky earlier this month by a surface-to-air missile, killing 298 passengers and crew and dramatically raising the stakes in Ukraine's bloody three-month conflict.

Kiev has blamed the rebels, citing photographs of anti-aircraft missile systems being moved from rebel-held territory into Russia less than 12 hours after the crash, and an intercepted call between an insurgent commander and a Russian intelligence officer.

The ICAO emergency meeting also included the head of the ICAO Council Olumuyiwa Bernard Aliu, ACI Director General Angela Gittens and Jeff Poole, head of CANSO.

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Stronger rules needed on flight paths: Malaysia Airlines official
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The commercial director of Malaysia Airlines on Sunday called for a complete overhaul of the way flight paths are deemed safe following the downing of flight MH17 by a suspected missile over rebel-held eastern Ukraine. Writing in Britain's Sunday Telegraph, Hugh Dunleavy said the disaster would have "an unprecedented impact on the aviation industry", claiming that airlines can no longer depe ... read more


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