Malaysia says ground controllers requested MH17 fly lower
National carrier says flight from a different carrier was on the same route at the time MH17 crashed to the ground.
KUALA LUMPUR
Malaysia Airlines said Friday that ground controllers had instructed MH17 to fly low over Ukrainian airspace, putting it at 33,000 feet (10,000 meters) - just 1,000 feet above restricted altitude.
Malaysia’s national flag carrier said that the plane had filed a flight plan requesting a level of 35,000 feet throughout Ukrainian airspace - 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 33,000 feet,” the airline said in a statement.
The decision for MH17 to fly close to the prohibited air zone has prompted numerous questions as to whether this may have contributed to a case of mistaken identity by those suspected of launching a missile which may have brought the plane down.
Anton Gerashenko, a Ukraine Interior Ministry adviser, claimed on his Facebook page Thursday that the plane was flying at an altitude of around 33,000 feet when it was "shot down with a Buk anti-aircraft system by terrorists."
The Ukraine government uses the term "terrorists" in relation to pro-Russia separatists it is battling who are seeking to unite the east of Ukraine with Moscow.
There is nothing to suggest that traffic controllers were aware of the missile capability of those they claim downed the plane, however former Soviet Union-developed Buk launchers are believed to be able to intercept targets up to 72,000 feet in the air.
The sophisticated radar controlled system was developed to intercept missiles, smart bombs and aircraft.
In responding to reports that the ill-fated Boeing 777 jetliner was flying just 984 feet above restricted airspace, MAS said MH17’s flight plan was approved by Eurocontrol, who are solely responsible for determining civil aircraft flight paths over European airspace.
Eurocontrol is the air navigation service provider for Europe and is governed under ICAO rules.
"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," the airline said.
Eurocontrol maintains records of all flights across European airspace, including those across Ukraine,” Malaysia Airlines, which is still recuperating from the mysterious loss of Beijing-bound MH370 four-months ago, said.
The airline said it is aware that last April, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) had identified an area over the Crimean peninsula as risky, and that “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.
Soon after the plane came down, Eurocontrol was quoted in several media reports as saying that MH17 was only cruising at 10,000 meters (33,000 feet) - way above the Ukrainian authorities’ restricted air space of 9,700 meters.
“The aircraft was flying at flight level 330 [33,000 feet] when it disappeared from the radar. This route had been closed by the Ukrainian authorities from ground to flight level 320 (32,000 feet) but was open at the level at which the aircraft was flying,” the agency was quoted as saying.
The airline also said in the statement that a further 16 passengers’ nationalities had been verified, meaning that of the 298 people on the plane 189 were from the Netherlands, 44 from Malaysia, 27 from Australia, 12 from Indonesia, nine from the United Kingdom, four each from Belgium and Germany, three from the Philippines, and one each from Canada and New Zealand, respectively.
The nationalities of four passengers are still being verified.
