Flying the Syrian gauntlet

All civilian airliners are essentially gambling with the lives of their passengers by flying over Syria, its that simple. What ever the motive, the high cost of alternative routes, politics, passenger convenience, all are worthless when set against the tens of lives that could be lost should one of these missiles hit a commercial jet.

Some so-called experts will tell you that the regime has no cause to hit airliners and that rebels do not have such sophisticated weapon systems that can strike aircraft flying at 30,000 feet. I challenge that assertion with a YouTube video uploaded by rebels in January that shows Syrian rebel fighters capturing two SA 8 surface to air missile launch platforms.

Now for those who are unaware of what an SA 8 missile launch platform is, it is an armoured vehicle with six enclosed launchers mounted on its back. It has a radar system that can acquire a target at a distance of 30km and track it over 20km. The launchers can be loaded with the 9M33 missile that has an altitude ceiling range of between 33,000 and 42,500 feet, which makes it a significant threat to civilian aircraft overflying Syria.



I don't know about the rest of you, but if a wasp enters my house I do not rest until I either get it out or kill it. Its a big house and its such a small wasp, there is no reason why it should sting me, but even a one percent chance is too much of a gamble. Just because no civilian airliner has been downed by rogue missiles from Syria so far proves nothing, only that airliners have been very lucky.

No one can say for sure who has such weapon systems in Syria now, its a mess over there. They might fall in the hands of some lunatic fringe that may decide to target civilian aircraft. The rational person has to assume this is a credible threat and no matter the cost of taking an alternative route to destination, one should be found and flights must be diverted immediately if only for passengers' peace of mind.

The capture of an SA 8 air to surface missile launch system in August 2012

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