Airline share prices slip after MH17 crash

Photo taken on July 17, 2014 shows the debris at the crash site of a passenger plane near the city of Shakhtarsk in Ukraine's Donetsk region. [Xinhua]

Several airlines reported dropping share prices on Friday morning, in the wake of the Malaysia Airlines plane crash incident, which analysts considered a repercussion of a missile strike.

The share price of American Airlines went down by 4.1 percent, to close at US$41.7, the share prices of United Airlines dropped by 3.5 percent, to close at US$43.35. The downward pressure was felt by Delta Air Lines, whose share price tumbled by 3.4 percent, to close at US$36.57, and Southwest Airlines, which closed at US$27.51 after a slight 1.9 percent fall.

The chill was also felt by airlines listed in Hong Kong. Cathay Pacific opened 1.243 percent lower on Friday morning, despite the company's assurance that its routes would not be affected.

China Southern, China Eastern and Air China, the three flagship airlines based on the Chinese mainland, all reported a moderate share price drop, and opened at 0.820 percent, 1.633 percent, and 1.728 percent lower than their closing prices on Thursday afternoon.