KLM exec: We're not to blame for MH17
In response to the question whether companies such as Malaysia Airlines, KLM, Air France and Lufthansa took unnecessary risks by flying in dangerous airspace, the Royal Dutch Airlines has responded that they could not have come to another decision. De Telegraaf reports.
"Just like nearly everyone else, KLM also made a risk assessment to fly over East-Ukraine. With the available information before 17 July, we could not have come to another decision", Deputy President-Director of KLM Pieter Elbers, taking over for Camiel Eurlings who is abroad, told De Telegraaf on Tuesday.
"There were hundreds of flights from well-known airlines that day that made use of this busy air corridor", Elbers continues.
The KLM chief says that it is difficult to judge conflict areas, and that it is the responsibility of states, as Aviation Organization ICAO stipulates, to allow passenger airplanes to fly safely at cruising altitude. In this case, then, Ukraine is at fault.
In the case of the downed Malaysia Airlines Boeing, which killed 298 people, organizations are beginning to question the collective failure of intelligence services who neglected to give out crucial bits of information meaning that most airlines are not warned on time.
Organizations such as the ICAO (UN), IATA (Aviation), Canso (air traffic control) and ACI (airports) gathered in a meeting yesterday to discuss failing security measures.
Elbers presses that the security investigation council of KLM is also working to inspect choices of safe flight routes, passenger lists and the actual events of the tragedy. "That is an international issue, which has a broad impact on everyone in this industry", Elbers says.
