Airlines need independent advice

Transcript

EMMA ALBERICI, PRESENTER: In the wake of the MH17 disaster the international civil aviation organisation will hold an emergency meeting in Canada overnight to discuss the risks of commercial planes flying over war zones.

It’s been reported that airlines will use the meeting to push for greater access to neutral information on whether to avoid certain air space.

Ron Bartsch, the former head of safety at Qantas, says a central body should provide independent advise to the airlines.

RON BARTSCH, Avlaw Aviation Consulting: Airlines do and are required under international law to have their own approved safety management systems and that allows them to assess risks that are peculiar to their operation. But I think it would be a very good starting point if the international regulatory bodies and agencies were able to provide a sort of rating system that airlines could monitor and see emerging trends as and when they develop.

EMMA ALBERICI: Emirates has announced it will divert its non-Iraq-bound flights away from Iraqi air space because of the potential threat from ISIS militants.

Qantas says it still considers flying over Iraq safe because of the cruising altitude its planes maintain over the country.

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