Air India, Jet planes not to fly over conflict zone in Ukraine

State-run Air India and Jet Airways have both issued orders to divert their flights from the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine, the ministry of civil aviation said in a statement on Friday.

The diversions follow the crash of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 on Thursday, after it was allegedly shot down by pro-Russian Ukranian rebels. ?There was no Air India flight near the ill-fated Malaysian plane at the time of the incident. As per information received so far, there was no Indian aboard the ill- fated plane,? the ministry statement added. Almost 300 people are believed to have died in the crash, allegedly caused by a surface-to-air missile fired by the rebels when the plane was at 33,000 ft in the air close to the Russia-Ukraine border.

Incidentally, reports said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi?s flight ?Air India 001? could have been on the same air corridor a few hours later.

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The PM was on his way back home from the BRICS summit held in Brazil and Air India 001 had taken off from Frankfurt at 5:52PM (IST).