Malaysian Airlines was losing profit even prior to the missing flight having disappeared off heck knows where. Up until now, the company was trying to redeem back its reputation and the financial loss over the previous 'accident' 5 months ago so it semi-makes sense that Malaysian Airlines had no choice but to stick with its original daily route which flies through Ukraine before going onto Russian territory and travel from then onwards to its destination (especially when it's daily and no incident has occurred for them up until this disaster). Also, the restricted airspace was up until 32,000 feet apparently and the aircraft was at a height of 33,000 so technically speaking it wasn't travelling at a restricted zone at all.

 

That's what I meant when I said 'above the restricted airspace'.

 

I agree with the rest of your post as well.

Edited July 18, 201411 yr by Noahspike

My mistake, I misread your post regarding what you said thinking you said the aircraft was flying at a prohibited airspace! :lol:

 

I was also meant to add that flying over a more dangerous territory would mean a lower cost for the airline itself due to the majority of other companies would want to avoid the area for safety reasons. That said though, a Singapore Airlines flight was a couple of miles away when all this occurred so I question as to why airliners don't double calculate the safety and whether it's a risk they'd take in return for better profits...

The ICAO said the route was safe as everyone believed that the surface to air missiles that Russians had given the rebels couldn't go that high. It's why there is restricted airspace below 32,000ft and not above that level.

On BBC News at Ten they had a report about the flightpaths. They said that Lufthansa was also using the same flight path as Malaysian Airlines, flying above the restricted airspace. Whereas British Airways amongst others were going around Ukraine and avoiding the area completely.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-28364306

 

Article about other airlines flying in the area which is quite interesting too.

The Sun yesterday said that Virgin were flying over the area too but aren't now of course.

There were several other planes flying through that airspace at the time of the crash too apparantly

I didn't know whether to create a new topic or continue it right here so feel free to split the threads, but Russian tanks have been spotted in Ukraine to support the seperatists, as well as 1000 soldiers

Alexander Zakharchenko, a pro-Russian rebel leader in eastern Ukraine, said 3-4,000 Russian citizens were fighting with the rebels.

"[Nato has] detected large quantities of advanced weapons, including air defence systems, artillery, tanks, and armoured personnel carriers being transferred to separatist forces in eastern Ukraine," he said.

 

"Russia is reinforcing and resupplying separatist forces in a blatant attempt to change the momentum of the fighting, which is currently favouring the Ukrainian military."

 

More than 1,000 Russian troops are reportedly operating inside Ukraine, both supporting the separatists and fighting on their side.

Russia has consistently denied sending tanks into Ukraine, arguing that any vehicles used by separatist forces there must have been captured from the Ukrainian army itself.

 

But now experts at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London have told the BBC that they have identified a Russian tank in a separatist column in eastern Ukraine that they say could only have come from across the border in Russia.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28967526

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28961080