YOUR SAY: Would you pay more to avoid flying over a warzone?

Qantas has defended its decision to continue flying through Iraqi airspace despite international partner Emirates changing its flight path to avoid the war-torn country.

An unnamed Qantas pilot was quoted in NewsCorp newspapers today saying that colleagues had reported seeing ground fire while flying over Iraq.

Emirates chief Tim Clark announced yesterday that the airline would reroute flights to Europe via Saudi Arabia and Egypt within the next ten days to avoid Iraqi airspace.

Diverting flights to Europe via Egypt and Saudi Arabia would add 45 minutes and $22,000 to each flight from Australia.

A spokesman for Qantas said the company regularly reviews its flight paths and makes any adjustments it considers “prudent”.

“There is no suggestion that flying over Iraq is unsafe for commercial airlines, particularly given the cruising altitude that most, including Qantas, maintain,” the spokesman said.

“We continue to monitor the situation, with safety as our top priority.”

Qantas said there are no current warnings regarding its average flight level over Iraq, which is around 38,000 to 41,000 feet.

Malaysian flight MH17 was travelling at around 33,000 feet when it was shot down over the eastern Ukraine with what investigators believe was a Russian-made BUK missile system.

The BUK missile system has an operational range that could hit targets at as high as 72,000 feet - well above the average flying height of a commercial aircraft.

What do you think? Would you prefer a longer and more expensive flight if it meant you didn’t fly over a warzone?