MOSCOW, July 18 (RIA Novosti) - The Malaysia Airlines passenger plane that crashed Thursday near the Ukrainian city of Donetsk was flying above the area closed by the country's authorities prior to the accident in light of the special military operation targeting independence supporters in this region, Brussels-based Eurocontrol announced.
“According to our information, the aircraft was flying at Flight Level 330 (approximately 10,000 metres/33,000 feet) when it disappeared from the radar. This route had been closed by the Ukrainian authorities from ground to flight level 320 but was open at the level at which the aircraft was flying,” according to the statement by the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation.
Following the crash, Ukraine closed the entire airspace in the country’s east, of which Eurocontrol was notified.
“Since the crash, the Ukrainian authorities have informed Eurocontrol of the closure of routes from the ground to unlimited in Eastern Ukraine (Dnipropetrovsk Flight Information Region). All flight plans that are filed using these routes are now being rejected by Eurocontrol,” the organization concluded adding that "the European Aviation Crisis Coordination Cell is being activated to coordinate the response to the impact of the airspace closure."
A Malaysia Airlines Boeing-777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed near the town of Torez in Ukraine's Donetsk Region Thursday, claiming the lives of 280 passengers and 15 crew members.
Ukraine’s state-run air traffic operator Ukraerorukh announced that the accident would be investigated by leading international experts.
