The lesson from flight MH17 is that in a time of war, safety must come before the profits of airlines

Commentary feature. The crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) on the 17 July 2014 has provoked intense debate over the conflict in eastern Ukraine, but what lessons should the crash have for aviation safety?

Simon Bennett writes that we must learn from the experience of MH17 and other incidents in the past. He argues that there is always a trade-off within commercial aviation between the safety of passengers and the profits of airlines, and that aviation authorities should ensure an exclusion zone is placed around trouble spots in future to ensure passenger safety.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Find all further information in ESO on the MH17 air crash http://www.europeansources.info/advSearchLink?keyword=mh17%20&searchOption=all

BBC News, 23.07.14: Balpa criticises airline route safety assessments http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28437785

Website: European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) https://www.easa.europa.eu/

Website: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) http://www.icao.int/Pages/default.aspx

ICAO: Press Release, 21.07.14: ICAO Accident Investigation Team Begins Ukraine Assistance Mission http://www.icao.int/Newsroom/Pages/ICAO-accident-investigation-team-begins-Ukraine-assistance-mission.aspx

BALPA: Press Release, 23.07.14: Global leadership needed to tackle security threat to civil aviation http://www.balpa.org/News-and-campaigns/News/GLOBAL-LEADERSHIP-NEEDED-TO-TACKLE-SECURITY-THREAT.aspx

The Conversation, 23.07.14: What this photograph might tell investigators about what really happened to MH17 http://theconversation.com/what-this-photograph-might-tell-investigators-about-what-really-happened-to-mh17-29560?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+23+July+2014+-+1802&utm_content=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+23+July+2014+-+1802+CID_0866dd55bbab408ac34164a6cbc4d360&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk&utm_term=What%20this%20photograph%20might%20tell%20investigators%20about%20what%20really%20happened%20to%20MH17

Deutsche Welle, 18.07.14: Eurocontrol: State decides on airspace safety http://dw.de/p/1CfBb

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