New research by Niall McCarthy at Statista has revealed the most dangerous airspace to fly though around the world.
The recent incident involving Ryanair Flight 4978 which was forced to land in Belarus has highlighted the problems that can arise when political tensions rise to the point they put flights at 40,000ft in danger.
Ryanair Flight 4978 was flying from Athens to Lithuania when it was forced to land in Belarus, escorted by fighter jets after an apparent state-sanctioned bomb threat was made against the aircraft.
Onboard the flight was a vocal anti-establishment activist, Roman Protasevich. He was detained upon arrival along with his girlfriend.
While politicians including President Joe Biden condemned the hijack, McCarthy says "the event served as a reminder that some sections of international airspace carry an inherent level of risk for passenger flights."
Two other high profile incidents highlight the potential dangers of flying above some parts of the world.
The shooting down of Ukraine International Flight 752 over Tehran in 2020 and the horrific incident when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over Eastern Ukraine in 2014 .
According to this report, most safety alerts are released by the US (FAA), UK (DFT), Germany (BMVI) and France (DGAC) and it is the stance of these organisations which have led to this research.
Level 1: The highest and most severe classification. Airlines are strongly urged to avoid this airspace completely. In these regions surface-to-air missiles could be in use. This includes areas such as Libya, Iran, Syria and Yemen.
Level 2: Warnings against certain places within this airspace or at certain altitudes. Afghanistan, Belarus, North Korea and Ukraine among the countries classified at level 2.
Level 3: While this is the lowest warning level, there is still a warning in place. A full security review should be conducted by flight planners before departure.
