Ukraine authority instructed #MH17 to fly at 10,060m, says @MAS

MalaysiaAirlines flight MH17 had requested to fly at 35,000 feet (10,670 metres) over Ukrainian air space but was instructed by the country’s air traffic control to fly at 33,000ft (10,060m) instead, Malaysia Airlines said in a statement this evening.

In responding to reports that the ill-fated Boeing 777 jetliner was flying just 300m (984ft) above restricted airspace when it was shot down over Ukraine, the national carrier said MH17 had filed a flight plan requesting to fly at 35,000ft over Ukrainian airspace, which is close to the “optimum” altitude.

“However, an aircraft’s altitude in flight is determined by air traffic control on the ground. Upon entering Ukrainian airspace, MH17 was instructed by Ukrainian air traffic control to fly at 33,000ft,” Malaysia Airlines said in a statement.

Citing the European air traffic control body – Eurocontrol – British paper The Guardian had reported that Ukrainian authorities had barred aircraft from ground level to 9,700m but MH17 was cruising at 10,000m when it was hit by a ground-to-air missile on Thursday, killing 298 people, including three infants.

Those responsible for downing the jet have yet to be identified, with Russian and Ukrainian authorities blaming each other and pro-Russian separatists for the disaster.

ll flights have now been barred over eastern Ukraine, Eurocontrol further said.

"The aircraft was flying at Flight Level 330 (about 33,000 feet or 10,060m) when it disappeared from the radar," Eurocontrol was quoted as saying.

"This route had been closed by the Ukrainian authorities from ground to flight level 320 (9,700m, or 32,000 feet) but was open at the level at which the aircraft was flying."

MAS also said MH17’s flight plan was approved by Eurocontrol and reiterated Putrajaya’s stand that the flight path was not unsafe.

The carrier said the route over Ukrainian airspace where the incident occurred is commonly used for Europe to Asia flights.

“A flight from a different carrier was on the same route at the time of the MH17 incident, as were a number of other flights from other carriers in the days and weeks before,” it said.

MAS said in April, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) identified an area over the Crimean peninsula as risky.

“At no point did MH17 fly into, or request to fly into, this area. At all times, MH17 was in airspace approved by the ICAO,” it added.

MAS also said a further 16 passengers’ nationalities have been verified, with the latest breakdown as follows:

189 Netherlands12 Indonesia9 United Kingdom4 Belgium3 Philippines1 Canada1 New Zealand.

The nationalities of four passengers are still being verified. – July 18, 2014.