The airline's chief pilot Captain Dick Tobiano says they would never fly over an area if they thought it was unsafe.
He says Qantas always puts safety first and that's why they no longer fly over Syria or the Ukraine.
But Transport Workers Union national secretary Tony Sheldon says travellers should have the right to know if their plane is travelling over a war zone and he's called on the government to intervene.
"The airlines have been left to make the decision to throw the dice," he told reporters at Trades Hall in Sydney.
"And many people have lost their lives because they decided cost over risk.
"And that's the factor that could see more Australians get killed."
Mr Sheldon said the federal government had the power to pass laws that require Australian carriers to avoid war zones such as Iraq.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says it is unfathomable that Qantas, which flies twice a day over Iraq on a path between Dubai and London, would knowingly put anyone in harm's way.
"I think, like everyone who catches aeroplanes, we've all been shocked at what happened to MH17, the idea that we once felt safe in the aeroplane and now all of a sudden we've seen this terrible, terrible event," Mr Shorten told reporters in Melbourne on
Wednesday.
"What I also know though, is that I cannot image a set of circumstances where Qantas would put people's safety in jeopardy."
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