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Eastern Ukraine, where a Malaysia Airlines jet with 298 people aboard was

apparently destroyed by a surface-to-air missile yesterday, is obviously a

dangerous spot. Pro-Russia separatists and Ukrainian forces have been fighting

there for months. In the past few days, two Ukrainian military planes have been

shot down in the region.

So what was a passenger plane doing anywhere near the area? As it turns out,

aviation authorities had addressed the Ukraine situation and taken precautions.

They just didnt think non-combatant planes flying at 33,000 feet were at risk.

The aviation industry is used to changing conditions that can suddenly render

airspace too dangerous to move through. Under a well-established system,

authorities like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the European Aviation

Safety Agency (EASA), and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

can issue orders recommending or requiring that aircraft avoid certain areas.

These restrictions can be applied for reasons including armed conflict, movement

of VIPs like the president, and natural disasters. The 2010 eruption of the Icelands

Eyjafjallajkull volcano spewed ashwhich is terrible for jet enginesand caused

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a six-day ban on most flights in European airspace.

However, in cases of military risk, flight restrictions often apply only under certain

altitudes. Planes are most exposed to ground-level threats when theyre taking off

and landingthats when theyre within range of small arms and shoulder-

mounted anti-aircraft missiles (this is why the FAA recommends planes avoid

Kenya). It requires much more sophisticated weaponry to take out a plane flying

33,000 feet above the ground. The risk posed by that kind of military hardware

explains why almost no one flies over Syriaa full-blown war zoneor North

Korea.

The situation in Ukraine was thought to be fairly safe, and local authorities cleared

planes through their airspace as long as they stayed above 32,000 feet. The

Malaysia jet, a Boeing 777-200ER en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was

at 33,000 feet when it was hit.

Its likely no one thought planes flying that high were at risk, says Mikael

Robertsson, a co-founder of FlightRadar24, a site that tracks planes around the

world. Malaysia Airlines had flown this route repeatedly over the past several

weeks without incident, as had other carriers. When MH17 was shot down, it was

right next to two other passenger planes operated by Air India and Singapore

Airlines.

Plus, flying around Ukraine is a major pain: The country is right in the middle of a

common direct route between Europe and southeast Asia. Longer routes mean

more fuel and more chances for delays, so cost-conscious airlines avoid such

maneuvers whenever they can.

Now that its clear flying at cruising altitude over eastern Ukraine isnt safe after

all, everyones avoiding the area. According to media reports, Alitalia, Lufthansa,

Air France, British Airways, Aeroflot, Turkish Airlines, and Transaero have all

announced they will divert flights away from eastern Ukraine for the foreseeable

future. The Ukrainian civil aviation authority has closed all airspace in the area to

flights, and the FAA says U.S. carriers have voluntarily agreed not to fly in the

airspace near the Ukraine-Russia border until further notice.

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Keith Barry

Jordan Golson

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