The downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 has focused attention on the disparate way in which airlines assess their security risk – some deciding it is safe to fly over war zones and some not.

With pilots saying it would have cost relatively little for an airline to avoid the war-torn area of eastern Ukraine, the airline industry swung to the defence of Malaysia Airlines for using that corridor, the most direct route between northern Europe and south-east Asia.

Flags hung at half-mast at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, as a sign of respect for those killed in Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17. Credit:Reuters

“No airline will risk the safety of their passengers, crew and aircraft for the sake of fuel savings,” Tony Tyler, the chief executive of the International Air Transport Association that represents airlines, said in a statement.

Mr Tyler said airlines worked within the airspace deemed available for flights by governments and air traffic control authorities.