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| Airlines divert flights away from eastern Ukraine | Airlines divert flights away from eastern Ukraine |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Airlines have been told to divert flights away from eastern Ukraine following the crash of a Malaysian airliner, amid allegations it was shot down. | Airlines have been told to divert flights away from eastern Ukraine following the crash of a Malaysian airliner, amid allegations it was shot down. |
| Eurocontrol, the European organisation for the safety of air navigation, has advised pilots to avoid the area. | Eurocontrol, the European organisation for the safety of air navigation, has advised pilots to avoid the area. |
| Flights already airborne are being routed around the area by air traffic control in the region, a Department for Transport spokesperson said. | Flights already airborne are being routed around the area by air traffic control in the region, a Department for Transport spokesperson said. |
| Flight MH17 had 295 people on board. | Flight MH17 had 295 people on board. |
| It was on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it came down near the village of Grabovo. | It was on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it came down near the village of Grabovo. |
| 'Immediate measures' | |
| The European Cockpit Association (ECA), which represents more than 38,000 European pilots, said the route flown by the crashed Malaysian aircraft was "the most common route for flights from Europe to South East Asia." | The European Cockpit Association (ECA), which represents more than 38,000 European pilots, said the route flown by the crashed Malaysian aircraft was "the most common route for flights from Europe to South East Asia." |
| "ECA will follow the developments closely and calls upon European authorities to take immediate measures to secure all the flights overflying that region," it said in a a statement. | "ECA will follow the developments closely and calls upon European authorities to take immediate measures to secure all the flights overflying that region," it said in a a statement. |
| Airline Emirates said its flight EK171 from Dubai to Kiev had returned to Dubai "due to the safety concerns raised with the latest reports on Malaysian flight MH17". | |
| It added that its flights to Kiev were suspended "with immediate effect, till further notice". | |
| The airline said its flights to and from the US and other European destinations used a different route and were outside the zone where the incident involving MH17 occurred. | |
| 'Safety priority' | |
| German airline Lufthansa said it had decided to "fly a wide detour around east Ukrainian airspace with immediate effect". | German airline Lufthansa said it had decided to "fly a wide detour around east Ukrainian airspace with immediate effect". |
| It said the decision would affect four of its flights on Thursday. "The safety of our passengers is our top priority," a spokesperson added. | It said the decision would affect four of its flights on Thursday. "The safety of our passengers is our top priority," a spokesperson added. |
| Similarly, Virgin Atlantic said it would re-route "a small number" of its flights on Thursday, following the incident. | Similarly, Virgin Atlantic said it would re-route "a small number" of its flights on Thursday, following the incident. |
| "We do not anticipate significant delays and are planning for increased flight lengths on impacted flights of approximately 15 minutes," a spokesperson added. | "We do not anticipate significant delays and are planning for increased flight lengths on impacted flights of approximately 15 minutes," a spokesperson added. |
| British Airways said its flights did not use Ukrainian airspace, with the exception of a once a day service between Heathrow and Kiev. | |
| A spokesman for BA said they were keeping those services under review, but that "Kiev is several hundred kilometres from the incident site". | |
| Precaution | Precaution |
| Abu Dhabi based Etihad said it was unaffected as its planes didn't fly over the space. | |
| Dutch carrier KLM said that as a precautionary measure it already avoided flying over the concerned territory. | |
| And Russian airline Aeroflot said its London to Moscow flights would experience a delay of 30 to 40 minutes on Thursday. | And Russian airline Aeroflot said its London to Moscow flights would experience a delay of 30 to 40 minutes on Thursday. |
| Turkish Airlines has said all of its flights would avoid Ukrainian airspace, while Italy's Alitalia and Air France said they would divert their flights away from eastern Ukrainian airspace. | |
| Flight MH17 had been due to enter Russian airspace when contact was lost. | Flight MH17 had been due to enter Russian airspace when contact was lost. |
| Both the Ukrainian government and rebels have denied shooting it down in the region close to the Russian border. | Both the Ukrainian government and rebels have denied shooting it down in the region close to the Russian border. |