BERLIN (AFP) - Europe's air safety agency "strongly recommended" that all flights avoid both eastern Ukraine and Crimean airspace following the apparent downing of a Malaysian civilian aircraft in rebel-held territory.

"Due to the unsafe situation created by a conflict on the eastern border of Ukraine and the situation over Crimea, where more than one Air Traffic Service provider may be controlling flight within the same airspace, careful attention should be given" and flyovers should be avoided, the European Aviation Security Agency said in a statement on Friday.