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Malaysia Airlines crash prompts flight detours
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The map shows the approximate route of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine.
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Story highlights
The FAA prohibits U.S. flight operations over eastern Ukraine
Airlines are diverting flights around the area
Tensions in the region prompted some airspace restrictions earlier this year
Crash site was not within airspace prohibited by U.S. regulators
CNN
—
Commercial airlines that usually cross eastern Ukraine on their flights to Europe, Asia and elsewhere are detouring away from the volatile region in light of Thursday’s suspicious crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that U.S. airlines had voluntarily agreed not to operate in airspace near the Russian-Ukraine border. Later, the FAA issued a notice prohibiting U.S. flight operations in the airspace over eastern Ukraine until further notice.
The restricted area includes the Dnepropetrovsk and Simferopol Flight Information Regions. The European Aviation Safety Agency and intergovernmental aviation organization Eurocontrol also warned against flying in these areas.
Ukrainian authorities have closed many of the routes in eastern Ukraine, according to Eurocontrol, which counts Ukraine among its 40 member states.
The United States has concluded the Malaysian airliner was shot down, a senior U.S. official told CNN’s Barbara Starr. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk on Friday blamed “terrorists” for the downing. The flight was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tensions have been high between Ukraine and Russia since street protests forced former pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych from power in February. Russia subsequently annexed Ukraine’s southeastern Crimea region, and a pro-Russian separatist rebellion has been raging in Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Alexander KHUDOTEPLY/AFP/Getty Images
Debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 sits in a field at the crash site in Hrabove, Ukraine, on September 9, 2014. The Boeing 777 was shot down July 17, 2014, over Ukrainian territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists. All 298 people on board were killed. In an October 2015 report, Dutch investigators found the flight was shot down by a warhead that fit a Buk rocket, referring to Russian technology, Dutch Safety Board Chairman Tjibbe Joustra said.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Dmitry Lovetsky/AP
Australian and Dutch experts examine the area of the crash on August 3, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty images
A woman walks with her bicycle near the crash site on August 2, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Olga Ivashchenko/AP
Police secure a refrigerated train loaded with bodies of passengers from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 as it arrives in a Kharkiv, Ukraine, factory on July 22, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Dmitry Lovetsky/AP
A pro-Russian rebel passes wreckage from the crashed jet near Hrabove on Monday, July 21, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Dmitry Lovetsky/AP
Wreckage from the jet lies in grass near Hrabove on July 21, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda/AP
A man covers his face with a rag as members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Dutch National Forensic Investigations Team inspect bodies in a refrigerated train near the crash site in eastern Ukraine on July 21, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Dmitry Lovetsky/AP
Emergency workers carry a victim's body in a bag at the crash site on July 21, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Dmitry Lovetsky/AP
A piece of the plane lies in the grass in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region on July 21, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda/AP
An armed pro-Russian rebel stands guard next to a refrigerated train loaded with bodies in Torez, Ukraine, on Sunday, July 20, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images
Ukrainian State Emergency Service employees sort through debris on July 20, 2014, as they work to locate the deceased.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images
A woman covers her mouth with a piece of fabric July 20, 2014, to ward off smells from railway cars that reportedly contained passengers' bodies.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda/AP
Toys and flowers sit on the charred fuselage of the jet as a memorial on July 20, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda/AP
People search a wheat field for remains in the area of the crash site on July 20, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda/AP
A woman walks among charred debris at the crash site on July 20, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda/AP
Emergency workers load the body of a victim onto a truck at the crash site on Saturday, July 19, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
/Vadim Ghirda/AP
Emergency workers carry the body of a victim at the crash site on July 19, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
ROBERT GHEMENT/EPA
A large piece of the main cabin is under guard at the crash site on July 19, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Vadim Ghirda
Victims' bodies are placed by the side of the road on July 19, 2014, as recovery efforts continue at the crash site. International officials lament the lack of a secured perimeter.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images
A man looks through the debris at the crash site on July 19, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images
An envelope bearing the Malaysia Airlines logo is seen at the crash site on July 19, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
ROBERT GHEMENT/EPA
Armed rebels walk past large pieces of the Boeing 777 on July 19, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Dominque Faget/Getty Images
Ukrainian rescue workers walk through a wheat field with a stretcher as they collect the bodies of victims on July 19, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Alexander Khudoteply/Getty Images
A woman looks at wreckage on July 19, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Pro-Russian rebels stand guard as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe delegation arrives at the crash site on Friday, July 18, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Dmitry Lovetsky/AP
A woman walks through the debris field on July 18, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Dmitry Lovetsky/ap
Pro-Russian rebels stand guard at the crash site.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images
Wreckage from Flight 17 lies in a field in Shaktarsk, Ukraine, on July 18, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Dmitry Lovetsky/AP
A man covers a body with a plastic sheet near the crash site on July 18, 2014. The passengers and crew hailed from all over the world, including Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Germany and Canada.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images
A diver searches for the jet's flight data recorders on July 18, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Dmitry Lovetsky/AP
Coal miners search the crash site.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images
Wreckage from the Boeing 777 lies on the ground July 18, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images
People search for bodies of passengers on July 18, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Dmitry Lovetsky/AP
A woman walks past a body covered with a plastic sheet near the crash site July 18, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images
Belongings of passengers lie in the grass on July 18, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Dmitry Lovetsky/AP
People inspect the crash site on Thursday, July 17, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Dmitry Lovetsky/AP
People walk amid the debris at the site of the crash.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Pierre Crom/Getty Images
Debris smoulders in a field near the Russian border.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Dmitry Lovetsky/AP
Fire engines arrive at the crash site.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images
A man stands next to wreckage.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images
Debris from the crashed jet lies in a field in Ukraine.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Robin Utrecht Photography/Getty Images
Family members of those aboard Flight 17 leave Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images
A large piece of the plane lies on the ground.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images
Luggage from the flight sits in a field at the crash site.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
JEROEN JUMELET/AFP/Getty Images
A couple walks to the location at Schiphol Airport where more information would be given regarding the flight.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images
Flight arrivals are listed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images
Debris from the Boeing 777, pictured on July 17, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images
A man inspects debris from the plane.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images
Wreckage from the plane is seen on July 17, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
Robin Utrecht Photography/Getty Images
A man talks with security at Schiphol Airport on July 17, 2014.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images
Wreckage burns in Ukraine.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images
A man stands next to the wreckage of the airliner.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
from twitter.com/MatevzNovak
People inspect a piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. This image was posted to Twitter.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
from twitter.com/MatevzNovak
People inspect a piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. This image was posted to Twitter.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
from twitter.com/MatevzNovak
A piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. This image was posted to Twitter.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
from twitter.com/MatevzNovak
A piece of wreckage believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
from twitter.com/MatevzNovak
An airsickness bag believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter.
Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine
from twitter.com/MatevzNovak
A piece of wreckage believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter.
In April, U.S. airlines were prohibited by the FAA from flying in airspace surrounding Crimea, but Thursday’s crash site was not within what was considered restricted area.
The International Civil Aviation Organization and European Aviation Safety Agency also issued warnings in the spring against flying in the same area, the Simferopol Flight Information Region.
The crash occurred outside the warning area near the town of Torez in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
“What I can’t understand is why civilian airliners were flying over this area, which is just a huge error on their part,” said Bob Baer, a CNN national security analyst and former CIA agent.
Most airlines follow the guidelines and rules set by their national civil aviation authorities and fly the most direct route from their departure to their arrival city, said Mary Schiavo, former inspector general of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The FAA and other national civil aviation authorities hadn’t yet defined the area where the aircraft got shot down as part of the conflict zone in Ukraine, Schiavo said.
“It wasn’t this particular area,” she said. “They hadn’t defined it as a stay-away area” even though there was violence in the region.
“No airline will risk the safety of their passengers, crew and aircraft for the sake of fuel savings,” said Tony Tyler, head of the industry group International Air Transport Association, in a statement. “Airlines depend on governments and air traffic control authorities to advise which airspace is available for flight, and they plan within those limits.”
Many travelers are likely to avoid the major air route between Europe and Southeast Asia, Schiavo said. “People simply will just avoid that route. I certainly wouldn’t fly that route right now.”
In light of the crash, airlines around the world are rerouting flights.
“We’re taking a wide detour around eastern Ukraine,” said Lufthansa spokesman Nils Haupt. That detour will be in effect at least through Friday, he said. Lufthansa had four scheduled flights Thursday that would usually cross over eastern Ukraine.
“We are closely watching the situation” to decide flight plans beyond the next couple days, he said. “It’s a precautionary measure to protect the safety of our passengers.”
Lufthansa said it isn’t making any changes to its two daily flights going from Frankfurt, Germany, to Kiev, Ukraine, or its one daily flight from Munich, Germany to Odessa, Ukraine, because they don’t cross over that airspace.
With only once-a-day service between London’s Heathrow Airport and Kiev, British Airways doesn’t have any flights in the area of the crash site, according to a representative. “We are keeping those (Kiev) services under review, but Kiev is several hundred kilometers from the incident site.”
A Kiev-bound Emirates flight turned around on Thursday and returned to Dubai “due to the safety concerns raised with the latest reports on Malaysian flight MH17,” and suspended all flights to Kiev immediately until further notice, according to a company statement.
Other Emirates flights to and from the United States and Europe fly a route outside the area where the crash occurred, the company said.
With the exception of flights to Kiev, Air France is no longer flying over Ukraine, the airline said. Air France suspended flights over the area surrounding Crimea in April.
American carriers including Delta Air Lines are also avoiding the region.
“Out of an abundance of caution, Delta is not routing flights through Ukrainian airspace and is monitoring the situation involving Malaysia Airlines Flight 17,” the airline said in a statement.
