Emirates head pushes for summit

Photo / Dean Purcell

Airlines urged to make a stand after the tragedy of MH17 but IATA wants the onus to be on governments.

A call by the chief of Emirates for a global summit of carriers to tackle new threats to planes has been met with a muted response from the body representing airlines which says difficult work lies ahead.

Emirates president Sir Tim Clark has called for an international meeting of carriers to agree on a response to the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines MH17 over Ukraine.

He told Reuters that regulators in different countries may decide to be more involved in giving their carriers guidance on where it is safe to fly.

"The international airline community needs to respond as an entity, saying this is absolutely not acceptable and outrageous, and that it won't tolerate being targeted in internecine regional conflicts that have nothing to do with airlines," Clark said.

He said the International Air Transport Association could call an international conference to see what changes need to be made in the way the industry tackles regional instability.

In the Reuters interview Clark said he was incandescent with rage at the downing of the plane and said IATA and a United Nations body, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, could take action.

Emirates operates near many of the world's troublespots and is now avoiding flying to the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. The airline said that "our flights to Kiev are suspended with immediate effect, till further notice".

The German airline Lufthansa supported a global summit.

However, Kevin Hiatt, senior vice-president, safety and flight operations for IATA has put the onus on governments.

"To assist in that process, we are working with ICAO in consultation with our members," he said.

"Once we are clear on the facts and we have expert analysis to guide us, the engagement will move to a higher level of global dialogue. What format that will take will need to first be informed by the findings."

IATA director-general Tony Tyler said news of potential progress on returning bodies to relatives and access for investigators was promising.

"But promises now need to be turned into reality with actions."

Tyler said the tragedy of MH17 was an outrage.

"Nobody should be shooting missiles at civilian aircraft - governments or separatists. Governments will need to take the lead in reviewing how airspace risk assessments are made.

"And the industry will do all that it can to support governments, through ICAO, in the difficult work that lies ahead."

A no-fly area declared in eastern Ukraine after the downing of MH17 is a rare restriction shared with rogue states like North Korea. While skies over troublespots like Libya and Syria are avoided by some airlines, official airspace closures are generally declared by the countries affected and limited to events such as the aftermath of volcanic eruptions.