Airlines divert flights from eastern Ukraine

The European flight safety body Eurocontrol said that the Ukrainian authorities have closed the airspace in the east of the country to all airline flights.

It said all flight plans that use routes in the area were rejected. It follows the crash of Malaysian airliner flight MH17 with 298 people on board, amid claims it was shot down.

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.” 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 flights to Kiev were suspended “with immediate effect, till further notice”.

The airline said 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.

Meanwhile, US carriers have also agreed to avoid flying through airspace near Russia's border with Ukraine, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

German airline Lufthansa spokesperson said they had decided to “fly a wide detour around east Ukrainian airspace with immediate effect. The safety of passengers is our top priority.”

Similarly, Virgin Atlantic on Thursday had rerouted “a small number” of its flights.

- BBC