UN launches global warning site to publish attacks on commercial airlines more quickly

The changes follow a review of the site run by the Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organization. Countries can now only post about risks to their own airspace or to other regions provided they have the agreement of the other states.

[related-post]

Watch Video: What’s making news

Airlines have pushed for accessible, up-to-date information on risks to civil aviation after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down in July 2014 in Ukraine, killing 298 people.

Ukraine has defended its decision not to close the airspace in the east of the country where the passenger plane was shot down, saying it was unaware that anti-aircraft weapons were being used in the area and that planes could be under threat.

Changes to the site follow criticism from countries like China and Bolivia which have said it risked being used for political motives because states are allowed to post about each other’s affairs.

International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) does not open and close airspace in conflict zones. Rather, the agency’s 191 member states “have the obligation to promptly communicate any potential risks” to civil aviation operations in their sovereign airspace, noted Bernard Aliu, president of the agency’s governing council, in a statement.

The ICAO website will now include links to national pages run by member states, which post their own global aviation safety and security risk warnings, the release said. ICAO sets safety standards that typically become regulatory requirements in its 191 member states.