What airlines were already avoiding eastern Ukraine?

All airspace in eastern Ukraine has been shut down after the crash of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17, and airlines are diverting flights from the region indefinitely.

The Dnipropetrovsk Flight Information Region, a 165,000-square-kilometre block in the northeast quadrant of the country, has been closed by Ukrainian authorities, according to European air traffic authority Eurocontrol.

Prior to the crash, the area had been closed in the space up to 32,000 feet, but was open above that level. In a statement on their website, Eurocontrol said MH 17 had been flying at approximately 33,000 feet above the ground, placing it in open airspace.

The Federal Aviation Administration had warned U.S. pilots in April to avoid the southeastern parts of Ukraine, according to a post under the “active special notices” section of the FAA website.

Pilots were also warned to review current security and threat information when flying in other regions of Ukraine, and to “exercise extreme caution due to the continuing potential for instability.”

The European Cockpit Association says the path the Malaysian flight was taking is “the most common route for flights from Europe to South East Asia,” meaning many airlines still flew through the area despite months of violent conflict.

Below is a list of airlines that had already been avoiding the area, and airlines that will now be avoiding either the area or the entire country altogether.

Already avoiding the area:

• Air Canada, which has no direct flights from Canada to Ukraine

• Delta Airlines, based in the U.S., which will now also be avoiding the entire country

• Etihad Airways, based in the United Arab Emirates, already had no planes flying over the space

• British Airways, which said its flights did not use Ukrainian airspace, except for one daily flight to Kiev

Now avoiding all of Ukraine:

• Airline Emirates has suspended its flights to Kiev, and has no other flights through the region

• Transaero and Aeroflot, both Russian airlines, will discontinue flights over Ukrainian territory

• France's junior transport minister Frederic Cuvillier said he had told French airlines to avoid Ukraine's air space

Avoiding the region:

• German airline Lufthansa, The British Virgin Atlantic airline, Dutch carrier KLM, Italy’s Alitalia and Air France have all announced they’ll be making a detour around Eastern Ukraine

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  The flight plan of Flight MH17, including the location where the airliner crashes in eastern Ukraine.