New Delhi: When Malaysia Airlines' MH 17 was shot down over Ukraine on Thursday night, an Air India flight with 126 passengers was right behind it. The flight, AI 113 en route from Birmingham to Delhi, and a Singapore Airlines flight flying home from Copenhagen were both about 25 to 50 nautical miles (40 to 80 km) behind the ill-fated Malaysian Boeing 777.
This gap, say pilots, is covered in less than five minutes. Both the planes clearly had a narrow escape.
A senior AI official, however, said that the Dreamliner operating as AI 113 was to take a different route. "AI director (operations) SPS Suri had issued a directive to avoid Ukraine's conflict zone ever since hostilities broke out in the region. We were taking a route that did not fly over the worst affected area that has been recognized as the conflict zone. But after the attack we have decided to avoid Ukraine completely," said an official.
18/07/14 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India
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This gap, say pilots, is covered in less than five minutes. Both the planes clearly had a narrow escape.
A senior AI official, however, said that the Dreamliner operating as AI 113 was to take a different route. "AI director (operations) SPS Suri had issued a directive to avoid Ukraine's conflict zone ever since hostilities broke out in the region. We were taking a route that did not fly over the worst affected area that has been recognized as the conflict zone. But after the attack we have decided to avoid Ukraine completely," said an official.
18/07/14 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India
