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Pilots call for more information sharing on air route safety

All countries are being urged to support a system to share information on the safety of air routes, on the first anniversary of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 disaster.

The call came from the British Airline Pilots Association as memorial services were held to mark the shooting down of the Boeing 777 over Ukraine with the loss of 298 lives.

The UK pilots union called for the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to take the lead in decision-making regarding overflying areas of conflict in the wake of the crash.

Those calls were answered and a system for sharing information was set up.

“But it is only as good as the information put in and a year after the crash not all counties are contributing data and using the information,” Balpa said today.

“This work must develop and grow to enable nation states to share knowledge for the good of all air operators, their passengers and crew.”

Balpa flight safety specialist, Stephen Landells, said: “Pilots need enough information to assure themselves the flight they are about to fly is safe.

“Passengers and pilots want an open and uniform level of safety, not one that is decided in secret and in different ways by airlines and countries.

“This new system for sharing information is in its infancy and the UK is leading the way in making it happen. Now the aviation community worldwide needs to work together to share information.

“We would like ICAO and the UN to use their influence to encourage all nation states to take advantage of this unique resource to ensure the safety of the travelling public worldwide.”

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