Report: Malaysian airliner crashes in Ukraine

[Joe Frampton]

When talking about about airspace over conflicts, I am watching Flight Radar 24 as many, many major airlines fly over Northern Iraq - isn't that currently controlled by Isis or whoever they are? If there was an aircraft incident over that region, wouldn't we be in exactly the same situation as Ukraine, but possibly with even more radical players involved? Sounds to me like the safest way to Europe right now is actually via the USA. I don't really want to fly over ANY part of Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan - it starts to put a lot of air routes to Europe into doubt right? I am very surprised that no mention has been made of Northern Iraq - the largest airliners in the world are streaming over there right now...

[Michael Cleary]

Originally Posted by Joe Frampton

When talking about about airspace over conflicts, I am watching Flight Radar 24 as many, many major airlines fly over Northern Iraq - isn't that currently controlled by Isis or whoever they are? If there was an aircraft incident over that region, wouldn't we be in exactly the same situation as Ukraine, but possibly with even more radical players involved? Sounds to me like the safest way to Europe right now is actually via the USA. I don't really want to fly over ANY part of Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan - it starts to put a lot of air routes to Europe into doubt right? I am very surprised that no mention has been made of Northern Iraq - the largest airliners in the world are streaming over there right now...

Yes, I find it odd that routes over Northern Iraq seem to be continuing since ISIS have come to prominence - just about everything from the Gulf seems to go that way. I have always been surprised that so many overfly Afghanistan too. Strangely Iran gets very few, or maybe they prohibited overflights while sanctions are in place and have now relented as flights over Iran have increased in the past week. And now the US have said no to US registered aircraft flying into Tel Aviv too (after a rocket fired from Gaza made it that far!!), quickly followed my many European airlines.