‘China keeping eye on Iran flights’ but no changes for Chinese air carriers
- Beijing has not redirected planes away from Iranian and Iraqi airspace, but China Southern Airlines cancelled flight to Tehran on Wednesday on security grounds
“The flight was cancelled due to security concerns,” an airline official said on Thursday, adding that passengers could exchange tickets at no extra charge.
“Till now, we have not yet received any new notice saying future flights to Iran would be cancelled.”
Flight 752, operated by Ukraine International Airlines, left Tehran airport for the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, on Wednesday morning, with 167 passengers and nine crew.
It crashed between the cities of Parand and Shahriar in Tehran province, killing everyone on board, including 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 10 Swedes and three Britons. Authorities said technical problems were to blame.
Ukrainian Boeing 737 crashes in Iran, killing all 176 on board
Media reported that Ukraine’s embassy in Tehran issued a statement that ruled out terrorist involvement in the plane crash but later withdrew it without explanation, prompting questions about whether other possible causes, including terrorism, were being explored.
However, Iranian armed forces spokesman Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi rejected the speculation and said that a missile did not bring the plane down.
As tensions and uncertainty increased across the Middle East, airlines diverted flights from Iranian airspace. Air France and Dutch carrier KLM both said on Wednesday that they had suspended all flights over Iranian and Iraqi airspace indefinitely.
Asian operators that chose to avoid Iranian airspace included Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines and Singaporean low-cost carrier Scoot.
Cathay Pacific said it had not flown over Iran and Iraq for “over a year”. Malaysia’s AirAsia said it did not fly over the two countries, while Korean Airlines said its flights did not cross Iran.
Australian carrier Qantas said it was altering its London-to-Perth, Australia, route to avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace until further notice. The longer route meant that Qantas would have to carry fewer passengers and more fuel on a flight that took 40 to 50 minutes longer than usual.
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Taiwanese carriers China Airlines and EVA Air said they diverted flights to Europe on Wednesday to skirt Iraqi and Iranian airspace. They said route decisions would depend on developments.
In July 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew. The incident happened during a conflict in the Donbass region of Ukraine, where ties between Kiev and Moscow had frayed.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
