Emirates - military threats at various destinations
In the light of recent incidents, I would like to know the background of the decision to stop the Emirates route to Damascus (18 months after the Syrian civil war started). What was the tipping point for the route no longer being considered safe or otherwise viable by the company? Does anyone know?
Quite a few Emirates destinations have been well covered in the news and on pprune recently. The most senior levels of management, although they don't have a crystal ball to see the future, are clearly content that safety is assured at these places (they must be because the buck so obviously stops with them concerning whether a route is operated or not).
Peshawar - Pakistani PIA aircraft shot at while airborne. 1 passenger shot dead. 1 crew member shot and injured. If Pakistani commercial aircraft get shot at in Pakistan, one can only assume that other operators are not invulnerable.
Karachi - two extremely serious attacks with seven people killed in the Emirates/DNATA ground operation there. Emirates aircraft unable to move for many hours with crew and passengers stranded in a darkened aircraft with gun fire nearby. Subsequent flights operated with heavy fuel loads according to another thread on this web site in case of further attacks closing the airport - which if true indicates that Emirates believed further attacks were a possibility.
Kiev - no crew layovers there although flights continue using an unusual heavy crewing arrangement, making a turnaround flight possible. Emirates clearly considers there is a risk to its crew at the moment if it has taken that action. Parts of the country involved in civil war / Crimea annexed by Russia.
Baghdad - rocket attack on the airport earlier this year. ISIS taking territory in Northern Iraq, but has so far been repelled from Bagdad.
Kabul - rocket attack recently by the Taliban. Other attacks last year.
Tripoli - rockets fired at the airport recently. 1 landing aircraft hit by small arms fire, though I think that was some months ago now.
Erbil - many nearby towns in Northern Iraq under ISIS control. Erbil is not, however there have been ISIS attacks on the city and the surrounding area is extremely dangerous.
Bangkok - recent military coup. People shot in the streets while protesting.
I express no opinion here - just looking for information if anyone has any.