Myanmar’s civil aviation authorities have warned that they may take action against the airline Emirates over the entrance of one of its planes into the no-fly zone above Yangon. The no-fly policy applies to much of the city’s airspace below an altitude of 24,000 feet.
The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) in Myanmar sent the warning to its counterpart in the United Arab Emirates, where the airline is based, on Tuesday, Myanmar state media reported yesterday.
The alleged breach occurred when Emirates’s Boeing 777-31H, en route from Yangon to Phnom Penh, flew at a low altitude over Yangon at around 7pm on Sunday. DCA director Soe Paing told state media that the Emirates pilot has admitted to crossing the restricted airspace, explaining that weather conditions after takeoff were unfavorable to flying and that he turned the plane through the no-fly zone for the safety of his passengers.
Nonetheless, the director said DCA protocol still calls for action against the airline, as entrance into the no-fly zone in forbidden under any circumstance by international rules.
Emirates introduced its direct Yangon-Phnom Penh route last July as part of a larger longer Dubai-Yangon-Phnom Penh route, which runs daily.
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