Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash: SIA stops flights over Ukraine

A staff member takes a call at the customer service counter of Singapore Airlines (SIA) at Changi International airport in Singapore on May 8, 2014. SIA has stopped all flights over Ukraine, following the crash of a Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in t
A staff member takes a call at the customer service counter of Singapore Airlines (SIA) at Changi International airport in Singapore on May 8, 2014. SIA has stopped all flights over Ukraine, following the crash of a Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in the country's eastern region. -- PHOTO: AFP

SINGAPORE - Singapore Airlines has stopped all flights over Ukraine, following the crash of a Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in the country's eastern region.

"We generally have a number of pre-existing flight paths for our flights to and from the destinations that we are operating to," a spokesman told The Straits Times on Friday. "At this point, we are no longer using Ukrainian airspace and have re-routed all our flights to alternative flight paths that are away from the region."

SIA did not elaborate on the revised flight paths, added the spokesman. "In line with aviation safety and security protocols, we will however not provide specific information on the flight path of any particular flight prior to flight departure," she added.

Singapore's national carrier also did not comment either on reports that flight SQ351 from Copenhagen, Denmark, which was flying over the area at the time was about 25km away from flight MH17 when it was allegedly shot down.

Sources, however told The Straits Times that the SIA flight was "pretty close."

There were 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board MH17, when it was apparently shot down and crashed while crossing above a conflict zone in eastern Ukraine where pro-Russian rebels are fighting forces controlled by the government in the capital Kiev.

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