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Nearly 300 passenger planes were scheduled to fly over the Ukraine yesterday.

Some 290 commercial flights continued operating over the war zone, with just 10 fewer aircraft entering Ukrainian airspace than normal, according to European air traffic control centre Eurocontrol.

The flights were still operating in the conflict zone despite warnings from as far back as April from the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) about potential risks to commercial planes.

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The ICAO advised carriers to consider alternative routes after outlining 'the possible existence of serious risks to the safety of international civil flights'.

In response to warnings, American flights had been banned from flying over Ukraine, but European and Asian carriers were still operating in the area.

On July 1, Ukraine increased the altitude that aircraft could fly at in the area to 26,000ft, then on July 14, the restriction was increased again to 32,000ft.

Flight MH17 was flying at 33,000ft when it was shot down.

Defending the Malaysian Airlines decision to fly over eastern Ukraine, the country's prime minister Najib Razak said international air authorities had deemed the flight path secure.

'The aircraft's flight route was declared safe by the International Civil Aviation Organization. And (the) International Air Transportation Association has stated that the airspace the aircraft was traversing was not subject to restrictions,' he said.

Tragedy: Debris is seen at the site of Thursday's Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 air crash near the settlement of Grabovo

Steering clear: Map of European airspace showing flights avoiding Ukraine after Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down

British airlines were also given the all-clear to fly over Ukraine as recently as a month ago by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

A 'note to airmen' known as a Notam was released on June 14 listing multiple areas over Ukraine where there are were complications due to both Russia and Ukraine both trying to control the skies, but did not advise against flying into the area.

Following the tragedy, airlines rushed to cancel flights entering Ukrainian airspace, with British Airways confirming it had axed its once-a-day Heathrow to Kiev flight. Emirates revealed it was forced to turn back a plane about to enter Ukrainian airspace following the incident.

However, various Asian carriers confirmed they had cancelled their routes over Ukraine months ago.

South Korea's two main airlines, Korean Air and Asiana had already re-routed flights, as had Australian carrier Qantas and Taiwan's China Airlines.

Singapore Airlines also said it had been using Ukrainian airspace but had 're-routed all flights' to alternative corridors away from the region.

However, it was not made clear when this decision was taken.

Ukrainian airspace has now been closed until further notice.

However, questions have emerged about why European and Asian airlines had continued to fly over Ukraine, particularly after American carriers had been banned from using the airspace due to safety concerns.

In an interview with CBS News, Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger - the pilot who safely landed a plane on the Huson River in New York in 2009 - questioned why the MH17 was flying near the Ukraine-Russia border.

'That is one of the big questions right now,' he said. 'The US Federal Aviation Administration has barred US Airlines from flying over this area for some time.

'It's up to each individual nation, each individual airline how much risk they are going to accept.'

A screenshot from the website of Flightaware shows the track of the Malaysian passenger plane MH17 before its crash

The radar route of Malaysian Airlines plane MH17

There are questions about why the jet, pictured, along with multiple other airlines were still operating over Ukraine, despite American carriers being banned by their aviation authority

Veteran Australian war correspondent Michael Ware said: 'This is a sad reality of where the commercial imperative collides with war. It's still economically attractive to airlines to continue flying over war zones. It's simply a matter of cost and reducing fuel. Alas that is what happened here.'

Ware said Jordanian Airlines and Iraqi Air both operated ceaselessly over Iraq at the height of its conflict.

The route flown by MH17 was the most common for flights from Europe to South East Asia, according to the European Cockpit Association, which represents more than 38,000 European pilots.

Eurocontrol, which is the air traffic control centre for Europe, released a statement explaining why planes were still flying over Eastern Ukraine.

It said: 'This route had been closed by the Ukrainian authorities from ground to flight level 320 [32,000 feet] but was open at the level at which the aircraft was flying.'

MH17 was flying at 33,000ft over the Ukraine, the lowest permitted altitude in the area.

Flight plans submitted by pilots are automatically checked against closed areas of airspace.

Eurocontrol said: 'All flight plans that are filed using these routes are now being rejected.'

Passenger plane 'shot down on Russia/Ukraine border'

The European Air Safety Authority issued airlines with a number of alternative routes avoiding Ukraine 

European airlines rushed to confirm they were not using Ukrainian airspace, with Air France confirming it had re-routed all flights as far back as April 3.

KLM also confirmed it was not flying over the area, as did British Airways - except for its daily flight to Kiev, which has now been axed.

Dubai airline Emirates confirmed that it had planned to cancel all flights between Dubai and Kiev from August 1, citing 'political uncertainty in the Ukraine which has resulted in weakened demand'.

In a statement the CAA said that following the MH17 disaster airlines had been told by the European air traffic control body to avoid the region: 'The Ukrainian authorities are responsible for managing their airspace and the UK or other countries cannot enforce airspace restrictions in the area.

'However, the CAA has previously issued advice to UK airlines on operating in this area and following this incident, Eurocontrol has issued advice to airlines to plan routes that avoid the area.'

Is this the moment that Malaysian flight was shot out of the air?

Aviation experts fear that MH17 used the route through Ukraine as it was shorter and saved fuel

See the wreckage from downed Malaysian airliner MH17

Air crash investigators will look for the aircraft's black boxes to determine what exactly happened to the jet