The UN body that oversees the co-ordination of international aviation regulations has pledged to re-examine rules for flying over conflict zones, after the shooting down of a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine highlighted “gaps” in the system.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation announced its plans in Montreal after a morning of meetings with the heads of the International Air Transport Association, Airports Council International and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation.
The downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on July 17, with the loss of 298 lives, highlighted significant anomalies in different airlines’ approaches to the risk of flying over eastern Ukraine. British Airways, Qantas and some other airlines had halted flights over the area because of the risks – but Malaysia, Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and several other airlines had continued flying there.