John Key says he is "deeply concerned" by the lack of access to the MH17 crash site and has called on Vladimir Putin to show leadership on the issue.

A Dutch couple coming to New Zealand to visit their Taupo-based daughter on a "trip of a lifetime" were among those killed on MH17.

A popular former Auckland and Queenstown restaurateur was on board the ill-fated Malaysian Airlines flight MH17.

The sole New Zealand citizen on board the ill-fated MH17 flight has been remembered as a "warm, creative and generous" person.

New Zealand journalist Alexi O'Brien this morning described the scene as horrendous. O'Brien is in the Ukraine for Al Jazeera.

A single image proved especially poignant; a passenger’s travel book and holiday novel strewn on the grass.

Auckland aviation expert Irene King says the "thugs" who shot down the Malaysian airliner will never get away with claiming they thought their target was military.

Scenes of horror, with crumpled corpses and body parts strewn amid the smouldering wreckage, greeted local villagers and pro-Russian rebels who were first on the crash site.

A Malaysia Airlines flight attendant who flew to Auckland a fortnight ago is among those on board the Boeing 777 airliner shot down in Ukraine early yesterday NZ time.

"We have every expectation our son will be getting off a plane in Wellington tomorrow," says Wendy Ayley, mother of Otaki man Robert Ayley, who was on flight MH17.

If history is anything to go by, the downing of Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine could trigger a dangerous chain reaction.

A New Zealand woman has been confirmed as being among the victims of the Malaysia Airlines crash. Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully confirmed the death and said another person, a British citizen who had been living in New Zealand, was also killed. The New Zealand woman, a longtime resident of Australia, was travelling with her husband, a Dutch citizen."Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those involved," says Foreign Minister Murray McCully.

Airlines were warned in April to avoid airspace over Ukraine, but experts suggest they preferred to save money on fuel.

Airbus Group delivered a final flurry of jet orders to see off the challenge from Boeing at the Farnborough Air Show, with a tally of purchases and commitments worth $75b.

Gold futures posted the biggest gain in four weeks after Ukraine said rebels shot down a Malaysian jet carrying 295 people near its border with Russia. Palladium extended a rally to a 13-year high.

The wife of a New Zealander who was on board MH370 says she was "absolutely floored" when she heard another Malaysia Airlines flight had ended in tragedy.

The Kremlin said Mr Putin had informed President Obama of the disaster after learning of it just before a scheduled phone call between the two.

Airlines including Deutsche Lufthansa and KLM has said they will avoid flying over eastern Ukraine after the crash of a Malaysian Airlines jet.

We have live updates from the investigation into the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines MH17.

Soviet-built BUK surface-to-air missile launcher believed to have brought down Air Malaysia flight at 33,000ft.

The deaths of 295 people aboard Flight MH17 is one of the worst post-war civilian airline incidents involving a plane brought down by a missile attack, gunfire or terrorist-related sabotage.

Airbus extended its lead over Boeing on the second day of the Farnborough Air Show by pulling in a record deal for single-aisle jets.

Air NZ's Dreamliner will need modifications to equipment including the "last line of defence" that provides back-up power in the remote event of a dual engine failure.

Emirates is about to put its 50th Airbus A380 into service and plans to almost double its fleet of the super jumbo within the next three years.

The arrival of Air NZ's first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner does not herald the start of lower airfares - but travellers will get access to new international destinations.

Boeing predicts demand in Asia will push commercial aircraft sales to $5.2 trillion over the next 20 years.

Seated in the middle of economy with four seats to either side, my view outside the window couldn't be clearer.

Demand for pilots is heating up in the Asia-Pacific region as new aircraft are added to fleets and ageing pilots retire.

Qantas is cutting 167 jobs from its engineering division as part of the embattled airline's ongoing turnaround plan.

A New Zealander stranded in Fiji for two days without any information from her airline was put on to another flight last night, the airline says.