Singapore Airlines apologises amid backlash over MH17 social media posts

Singapore Airlines has apologised over social media posts deemed insensitive in the wake of the MH17 tragedy.

Shortly after news of the disaster broke, the carrier posted to its Facebook and Twitter pages, informing customers of their flight paths.

“Customers may wish to note that Singapore Airlines flights are not using Ukraine airspace,” the airline’s official Twitter and Facebook accounts said.

The posts immediately drew backlash from users, with many accusing the company of insensitivity to victims’ families.

Shortly afterwards, Singapore Airlines posted another update, offering their condolences to the families of the passengers and crew as criticism online continued to grow.

Yesterday, the airliner issued a statement apologising for their initial comments.

"We are aware of that our Facebook and Twitter update on Friday morning may have come across as insensitive to some," a spokesman for the airliner told Reuters.

"We recognise that the information could have been better communicated and we sincerely apologise if it had offended our customers and anyone else in the online community."

The early Tweet was also accused by users of being misleading, with reports that a Singapore Airlines aircraft was flying just 25km from MH17 when it was shot down.