The Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash has “considerable implications” for travel managers responsible for duty of care, according to ACTE executive director Greeley Koch.
Koch said following the crash, which killed 298 people after flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over East Ukraine, the whole duty of care perspective has changed.
“Just a few years ago, duty of care referred to traveller stress, clean drinking water, and exposure to disease,” said Koch.
“Now travel managers are concerned about flight routes through areas of conflict and whether aircraft may be susceptible to less sophisticated weapons.
“Will it now be necessary for travel departments to make sure that preferred carriers do not overfly war zones, areas of civil conflict or regions of crisis?” asked Koch.
He said that no carrier puts a plane at risk and no company would put its employees at risk. “However, sometimes new risks are identified and steps have to be taken”.
He said one step would be altering flight routes to bypass areas of conflict. “The families of the lost passengers on MH17 will never be comforted. But we can do everything possible to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
“Travel managers, IATA, the airlines, and everyone who flies, has an interest in this. Now is the time to create a convention of consensus, diverting commercial air traffic around areas of conflict,” said Koch.
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