Ukraine flight path approved by aviation bodies — Liow

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SEPANG: The ill-fated Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH17 used the flight path over troubled Ukraine because it had been declared safe and approved by international aviation bodies, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said yesterday.

Liow (left) is seen comforting family members of passengers aboard MAS flight MH17. — Bernama photo

“We have used this route many, many times. In fact, 15 out of 16 airlines in Asia Pacific have used this route. Even European airlines used this route. We will not have used this route unless there was a last-minute notice to change the route, but … there was no notice,” he told a press conference at Sama-Sama Hotel here.

Liow said MAS decided to use another route after the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) closed the route and provided an alternative flying path following the crash of MH17 on Thursday.

MH17 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it went down in Ukraine.

It was carrying 298 people – 283 passengers and 15 crew.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said early yesterday that Ukrainian authorities believe that the Boeing 777 was shot down. Malaysia has vowed to find out precisely what caused MH17 to crash.

MH17 had left Amsterdam at 12.15pm (Netherlands time) Thursday and was to have arrived in Kuala Lumpur at 6.10am (Malaysian time) yesterday.

On Thursday, MAS announced that all European flights operated by the company would be taking alternative routes, thus avoiding the usual route with immediate effect.

Asked whether MH17 had opted for a shorter route to safe fuel and money, Liow said the allegation was not true.

Liow reiterated that besides ICAO, the International Air Transportation (IATA) had also stated that the airspace the aircraft traversed was unrestricted.

“In the hours before the incident, a number of other passenger aircraft from different carriers used the same route.

“There were no last-minute instructions given to the pilots of MH17 to change the route of the flight,” he said.

Liow said the aircraft also did not make any distress call.

“We were on the right route, the right path,” he said.

Liow said MAS had released a statement on the aircraft’s service record, which showed the aircraft had a clean bill of health.

It had also confirmed that all the aircraft’s systems were functioning normally and ACARS (aircraft communications addressing and reporting system) and the aircraft’s transponders were working and transmitting as normal, he said. — Bernama