MOSCOW, July 18 (RIA Novosti) — Russian airlines have suspended transit flights over Ukraine after a Malaysia Airlines passenger plane crashed in eastern Ukraine, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsiya, said Friday.
"Routes will be planned avoiding Ukraine through the Russian Federation with continuing flights through the airspace of other neighboring countries that provide safe flights over their territory," Rosaviatsiya said in a statement.
Russian airlines are currently discussing the cancellation of scheduled flights to airports in Ukraine. Russia’s largest airline, Aeroflot, canceled two scheduled flights on Thursday to the cities of Odessa and Kiev, and another scheduled flight to Kiev on Friday.
“The renewal of transit flights over Ukrainian territory, according to information from Russian airline companies, may occur only after the full and guaranteed safety for flights over Ukraine’s airspace is provided," the agency said.
A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed near the town of Torez in the Donetsk Region on Thursday, killing all the 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board.
Russia’s Transaero Airlines also decided on Thursday to take its flights to other countries bypassing Ukrainian airspace.
Kazakhstan’s flagship airline Air Astana suspended its flights from Almaty to Kiev, the company said.
Flight controllers reported that the MH17 flight aircraft disappeared from radar screens while flying at an altitude of about 10,000 meters (33,000 feet).
Kiev blamed independence supporters in the turbulent Donetsk Region for downing the passenger plane with a surface-to-air missile. Militia forces said they had no missile systems that could hit a target flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters.
Rescue workers have allegedly recovered two black boxes from the flight.
Ukrainian authorities and Malaysia Airlines are investigating the incident.
