Modi flew out minutes before MH17 crash

Tuesday, 22 July 2014 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down minutes after Air India One flying Prime Minister Narendra Modi back from Frankfurt to Delhi flew out of Ukraine on ‘Mike 991’ – the aerial route farthest from the troubled country’s conflict zone. On the aerial route between flight paths given to Air India One and MH17 over Ukraine was another AI flight (AI113) winging its way from Delhi to Birmingham with 126 people on board. AI 113 was the closest companion to MH17 in its last minutes along with a Singapore Airlines aircraft returning home from Copenhagen. While both AI planes flew over Ukraine almost around the same time, the airline says neither of them was in any danger. AI sources say Air India One (Boeing 747) and AI 113 (Boeing 787) were away from the aerial path of MH17. “The airway (aerial route or highways in air allotted to different airlines for flying) of AI113 was almost 75 km away from MH17 and its flight path. Air India One was almost 125 km away from the flight path of AI 113 and 200 km away from MH17’s assigned airway. The conflict zone in Ukraine has been in the country’s north. The AI flights were on routes down south, with Air india One on the farthest airway south of the country,” said a source. Aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju reiterated that there was no threat to the PM’s craft. “There was no danger. Whenever any air route (for a VIP aircraft) is finalised, countries involved get to know about it,” he told reporters. AI had issued a directive to its pilots to keep away from Ukraine’s conflict zone when trouble erupted in the country over the last months. After the MH17 incident, many airlines – including AI and Jet -have decided to completely avoid flying over the country.