IATA requests review of risk assessments following MH17

It has been reported the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on the help of governments to take charge in reviewing and changing how airspace risk assessments are to be carried out, following on from the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on July 17th in eastern Ukraine.

Tony Tyler, IATA Director General and Chief Executive Officer, has said: “Governments will need to take the lead in reviewing how airspace risk assessments are made. And the industry will do all that is can to support governments, through ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation), in the difficult work that lies ahead.” Tyler also added that both airlines and governments are “partners”, and that they will be required to work together to determine routes that aircrafts can fly and with what specific restrictions.

In an update the following day the aircraft crashed, Malaysian prime minister said: “The usual flight route was earlier declared safe by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. International Air Transport Association has stated that the airspace the aircraft was traversing was not subject to restrictions.”

The British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) has released its own statement in which it has said that “global leadership from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is urgently needed to respond to…all operations in or over areas of hostility.” BALPA General Secretary, Jim McAuslan, supported the comments in saying: “ICAO’s purpose should be to lead where national authorities cannot and it should have the tools to do that.”