Singapore Airlines (SIA) apologized for its previous social media posts following the crash of Malaysia Airlines MH17 in a statement sent to Channel NewsAsia on Saturday.

"We are aware that our Facebook and Twitter update on Friday morning may have come across as insensitive to some," an SIA spokesperson said in the statement.

The apology came in response to public debate over the company' s posting following the MH17 crash, which said "Customers may wish to note that Singapore Airlines flights are not using Ukraine airspace".

The post has drawn strong criticism, with many saying that it was "inappropriate" and "opportunistic". The company then posted another message in an hour, saying "our thoughts are with the passengers and crew of MH17 and their families".

In Saturday's statement, the spokesman said that "we recognize that the information could have been better communicated and we sincerely apologize if it had offended our customers and anyone else in the online community," adding that SIA is "deeply saddened " over the tragedy.

"Our thoughts remain with the families and loved ones of the passengers and crew who perished on board," It stressed.