SINGAPORE, Ramadan 22, 1435, Jul 19, 2014, SPA -- After getting a drubbing on social media for making statements deemed "insensitive" after the downing of flight MH17, Singapore Airlines Ltd (SIA) issued a public apology on Saturday and expressed solidarity with families affected by the air tragedy, Reuters reported. Hours after the Malaysia Airlines jetliner was shot down in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, killing 298 people, SIA's Facebook and Twitter updates said its own flights were not using Ukraine airspace. That triggered a flood of angry responses, with many lambasting SIA for not offering condolences to the victims' families and for mounting what some perceived as a publicity stunt during a crisis involving its neighbouring country's flagship airline. -- SPA 21:39 LOCAL TIME 18:39 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w