Azerbaijan Airlines Announces Cause of Plane Crash near Aktau
Azerbaijan Airlines announced today, based on preliminary data, that the cause of the recent plane crash in Kazakhstan was due to an “external physical and technical impact.” As a result of this tragic event, the airline has made the decision to suspend flights to 10 Russian cities starting from December 28. These cities include Sochi, Ufa, Samara, Volgograd, Grozny, Mineralnye Vody, Makhachkala, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, and Vladikavkaz, until the investigation into the crash is completed.
Furthermore, for safety reasons, other airlines have also suspended flights to certain destinations, including Grozny and Makhachkala, as mentioned by Azerbaijan Airlines.
In response to the incident, Flydubai has canceled flights to Dubai from Sochi and Mineralnye Vody from December 28 to January 5, with tour operators working to minimize the impact on affected tourists.
Additionally, Qazaq Air, a Kazakh airline, has announced the suspension of flights from Astana to Yekaterinburg.
According to reports from Rosaviatsia, the AZAL plane that crashed in Kazakhstan was unable to land in Grozny as planned, due to the “Carpet” regime introduced as a security measure against terrorist attacks in Ukraine.
The tragic crash occurred when the Azerbaijan Airlines plane flying from Baku to Grozny crashed near Aktau Airport on December 25, following failed attempts to land in Russia. Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister, Kanat Bozumbayev, confirmed that 38 people lost their lives in the crash, while 29 survivors were hospitalized. Among the deceased were six citizens of Kazakhstan, and three citizens of Kyrgyzstan were among the hospitalized, with one in critical condition.
Criminal cases have been opened in Russia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan for violations of safety rules, with an additional case of negligence being opened in Baku. The aviation community is mourning the loss of those affected by this tragic event, and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those involved.
