Latest news with #FlightMH17
Scroll.in
a day ago
- Business
- Scroll.in
As instability prevails in West Asia, how will airlines navigate safely across the region?
The Middle East is a region of intense beauty and ancient kingdoms. It has also repeatedly endured periods of geopolitical instability over many centuries. Today, geopolitical, socio-political and religious tensions persist. The world is currently watching as longstanding regional tensions come to a head in the shocking and escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. The global airline industry takes a special interest in how such tensions play out. This airspace is a crucial corridor linking Europe, Asia and Africa. The Middle East is now home to several of the world's largest international airlines: Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways. These airlines' home bases – Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi, respectively – have become pivotal hubs in international aviation. Keeping passengers safe will be all airlines' highest priority. What could an escalating conflict mean for both the airlines and the travelling public? Safety first History shows that the civil airline industry and military conflict do not mix. On July 3 1988, the USS Vincennes, a US navy warship, fired two surface-to-air missiles and shot down Iran Air Flight 655, an international passenger service over the Persian Gulf. More recently, on July 17 2014, Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine as the battle between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists continued. Understandably, global airlines are very risk-averse when it comes to military conflict. The International Civil Aviation Organization requires airlines to implement and maintain a Safety Management System. One of the main concerns – known as 'pillars' – of the SMS is 'safety risk management'. This includes the processes to identify hazards, assess risks and implement risk mitigation strategies. The risk-management departments of airlines transiting the Middle East region will have been working hard on these strategies. Route recalculation The most immediate and obvious evidence of such strategies being put in place are changes to aircraft routing, either by cancelling or suspending flights or making changes to the flight plans. This is to ensure aircraft avoid the airspace where military conflicts are flaring. At the time of writing, a quick look at flight tracking website Flightradar24 shows global aircraft traffic avoiding the airspace of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Israel, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon. The airspace over Ukraine is also devoid of air traffic. Rerouting, however, creates its own challenges. Condensing the path of the traffic into smaller, more congested areas can push aircraft into and over areas that are not necessarily equipped to deal with such a large increase in traffic. Having more aircraft in a smaller amount of available safe airspace creates challenges for air traffic control services and the pilots operating the aircraft. More time and fuel Avoiding areas of conflict is one of the most visible forms of airline risk management. This may add time to the length of a planned flight, leading to higher fuel consumption and other logistical challenges. This will add to the airlines' operating costs. There will be no impact on the cost of tickets already purchased. But if the instability in the region continues, we may see airline ticket prices increase. It is not just the avoidance of airspace in the region that could place upward pressure on the cost of flying. Airliners run on Jet-A1 fuel, produced from oil. If Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, the 'world's most important oil transit chokepoint', this could see the cost of oil, and in turn Jet-A1, significantly increase. Increasing fuel costs will be passed on the paying passenger. However, some experts believe such a move is unlikely. Major hub The major aviation hubs in the Middle East provide increased global connectivity, enabling passengers to travel seamlessly between continents. Increased regional instability has the potential to disrupt this global connectivity. In the event of a prolonged conflict, airlines operating in and around the region may find they have increased insurance costs. Such costs would eventually find their way passed on to consumers through higher ticket prices. Passenger confidence Across the globe, airlines and governments are issuing travel advisories and warnings. The onus is on the travelling public to stay informed about changes to flight status, and potential delays. Such warnings and advisories can lead to a drop in passenger confidence, which may then lead to a drop in bookings both into and onwards from the region. Until the increase in instability in the Middle East, global airline passenger traffic numbers were larger than pre-pandemic figures. Strong growth had been predicted in the coming decades. Anything that results in falling passenger confidence could negatively impact these figures, leading to slowed growth and affecting airline profitability. Despite high-profile disasters, aviation remains the safest form of transport. As airlines deal with these challenges they will constantly work to keep flights safe and to win back passenger confidence in this unpredictable situation.
News18
5 days ago
- Health
- News18
What Happens To The Brain In The Final Moments Before A Plane Crash? Explained
To answer that, News18 spoke to neurologists, psychologists, and trauma specialists who help unpack the biological reality of a high-impact crash—what the brain experiences in the final moments. Brain-Led Instincts In The Final Seconds According to experts, as the aircraft begins its uncontrolled descent, the brain activates primitive survival mechanisms, and the human body releases 'adrenaline' due to extreme fear. 'In the final seconds before a high-impact crash, the human body enters a state of extreme stress. Adrenaline is released, heart rate spikes, breathing becomes rapid, and muscles tense up," explains Dr Shobha Sharma, consultant psychologist at Yashoda Super Speciality Hospital, Ghaziabad. Mentally, people may experience heightened alertness or paradoxical calm. 'People may experience racing thoughts, tunnel vision, or even a strange sense of calm or detachment. Time can feel like it slows down." Dr Rajul Aggarwal, director, neurology, at Delhi-based Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute, explained that at such a point, the body is wracked with sheer fear and adrenaline. 'The reality is that in a high-impact scenario, the brain does not have the time to process the feeling of pain or fear for long." Do victims remain conscious?/strong> When the aircraft hits, the brain suffers severe physical trauma. The result or consequence depends on the speed and angle of the impact, the location of the individual in the aircraft and whether the individual was wearing any protective equipment, such as seatbelts. 'The brain is considered very vulnerable, and in a sudden impact of violent deceleration, there is a possibility that the brain can slam against the skull, causing a very serious injury to the health of an individual, such as diffuse axonal injury or many others," Aggarwal added. According to Dr Dhavapalani Alagappan, head, emergency response department at Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, there are high chances that the majority of people would have lost consciousness before the plane caught fire. 'The height and speed would cause huge trauma to the brain and other parts of the human body. The impact on the head would have been massive. A small proportion of people could have been aware till the last moment, but otherwise, many would have already lost their senses." Explaining this scientifically, Dr Anandh Balasubramaniam, senior consultant, head of department, neurosurgery, at Faridabad-based Amrita Hospital said, 'Severe deceleration during a crash causes abrupt violence to internal organs. … diffuse axonal injury—where neurons shear torn due to momentum differentials." However, the real scenario depends on crash dynamics. 'In cases of gradual decompression—like MH17 —victims may remain conscious during descent until impact. Similarly, rapid cabin depressurisation can cause loss of consciousness within seconds due to sudden hypoxia." Advertisement Dr Balasubramaniam was referring to Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, which in 2014 was hit by a missile at high altitude, and investigators believe some passengers may have remained conscious during the long descent before the final impact. A similar case was with Air France Flight 447 in 2009. In this case, the aircraft stalled mid-air and took over three minutes to descend, suggesting the possibility that passengers were aware during the fall, intensifying psychological trauma.
Focus Malaysia
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
Putin's MH17 endgame is to get Russia off the hook
WHEN Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim raised the MH17 issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he received only cold comfort. In his recent visit to Russia, he had to broach the subject in the wake of a United Nations (UN) aviation agency report that found Russia responsible for the 2014 downing of Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine. All 298 individuals including 44 Malaysian passengers on board were killed. The memory of this tragic incident still burns bright in the minds of the relatives of the victims, and ever since then they have been waiting for answers as to who was to be solely blamed. Eleven years later, Putin could only convey condolences to the families of the victims in his meeting with Anwar, dashing hopes that compensations were on the plate in response to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) council ruling. The horror of the air disaster will never go away as long as there is no final closure to the case. Once it is conclusively proven that Moscow must take the full blame, and must make reparations for this senseless act of violence, the matter can hopefully rest in peace. The UN aviation body—the ICAO—has ruled that Russia is to be held accountable for the shooting down of the MAS passenger jet over the troubled region. After much deliberation, the ICAO governing council voted that the Russian Federation had violated international air law by 'resorting to the use of weapons against civil aircraft in flight'. Although Russia is an ICAO member (there are 193-member states), it was not elected to the ICAO council, the main governing body comprising 36-member countries, which is mainly responsible for recommending practices related to air navigation, among other varied duties. Subsequently, Russia halted its participation in the investigation last year, claiming allegations that Moscow had a direct hand in the disaster were 'fake allegations'. The current 36 members, elected in 2022 to serve for three years, handed down the ruling after the Australian and the Netherlands governments brought the case against Moscow in 2022. Malaysia is also a member of the council. But Putin promptly poured cold water on the ruling because he believes the report is politically tainted and is biased against his country. In short, Russia's hand is not soiled with the blood of the innocent victims. By rejecting the findings of the report, the Russian leader is questioning the very legitimacy of the ICAO, which was established in 1947 to 'enhance global civil aviation safety'. By failing to uphold international air law, Moscow does not believe in 'sharing the skies' for the safety of air travellers. Putin has laid out starkly his imperious demand: he wants a thorough, detailed, independent, comprehensive, and exhaustive investigation. Putin must be aware that Malaysia has also cast its vote against Russia and when he met Anwar, he was ready to hand down his own ruling. There was nothing the prime minister could do except to listen meekly as his host sternly spoke his mind. Perhaps, the ICAO thought Anwar could carry the message directly to Putin but Moscow sees it in a different light. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the publication of the ruling 'was timed to cast a shadow on Anwar's visit to Russia'. But it was Putin who cast a shadow on Anwar: the Russian leader gave neither space for the prime minister to discuss the findings nor gave face to Malaysia's position in the important UN aviation agency. Many of the 36-member states are heavyweights in the aviation industry such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and Japan and Putin sees all of them as Western allies ganging up against the Russian Federation. If Russia had been elected to the ICAO council in 2022 (it fell short of the votes to get elected), it would have vehemently denied responsibility and would have probably staged a walk-out in protest. But how does Putin propose to conduct an independent investigation into the MH17 tragedy? Does this mean he wants a new slate of ICAO council members to deliberate again on the matter? Or does he want the investigative body to be a totally new setup outside the framework of the ICAO, with members sympathetic to Russia? Which ever way one looks at it, an independent probe into the incident will not be independent because Russia will most certainly play a dominant, aggressive, and intrusive role in the deliberations. One can say rightly that Putin will only be interested in one conclusion and, that is, Russia must not be found guilty of the horrendous crime. Put the whole blame on Ukraine. And if Ukraine, which is now battling the Russian invaders, is annexed, Putin can turn around and say, with the demise of the Ukraine statehood, the case is closed for good. ‒ June 5, 2025 Phlip Rodrigues is a retired journalist. The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia. Main image: Reuters
The Star
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Many rulings, no smoking gun
'WE saw the take-off. We saw the trajectory. We saw the hit. We saw this airplane disappear from the radar screens. So there is really no mystery about where it came from and where these weapons have come from.' Famous words spoken by former US secretary of state John Kerry to explain the downing of Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014.
Canada Standard
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Canada Standard
Statement by Global Affairs Canada on decision of International Civil Aviation Organization Council to hold Russia responsible for downing of Flight MH17
May 14, 2025 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada Global Affairs Canada today issued the following statement: "Canada welcomes the recent decision of the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council on the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 on July 17, 2014. "The council has found that Russia is responsible for the downing of the aircraft and that Russia breached the obligation not to use weapons against a civil aircraft in flight under Article 3 bis of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, commonly known as the Chicago Convention. In the coming weeks, the council will consider what form of reparation is in order. "This historic decision-the first one made by the council on the merits of a legal dispute in the ICAO's history of almost 80 years-follows proceedings initiated in 2022 by Australia and the Netherlands against Russia in response to the tragedy of Flight MH17 being shot down over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board, including one Canadian. "We commend the council for fulfilling its responsibility to uphold the rule of law in civil aviation and for reaffirming that violations of it will not go unanswered. "Our thoughts remain with the families and loved ones of all those who lost their lives aboard Flight MH17. Canada continues to support efforts to ensure that justice is served and to reinforce international mechanisms that protect civilian lives."
