Azerbaijan Airlines has halted all flights between Baku and Russia’s Chechnya until the completion of an investigation into an aircraft crash incident, according to a statement from the carrier reported by Russia’s state TASS news agency on Wednesday.
A passenger aircraft, an Embraer EMBR3.SA, with 67 people including 5 crew members on board met with an accident near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday whilst travelling from Azerbaijan to Russia. Kazakh officials confirmed that rescue teams have successfully saved 32 individuals from the crash site and 38 people died.
The timing of the crash coincided with drone strikes in southern Russia, though officials have not provided an explanation for the aircraft’s deviation. Historical drone activities have previously affected airport operations in the region, with at least one airport closed on Wednesday morning.
The Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 deviated significantly from its planned route and crashed on the opposite side of the Caspian Sea. Russia’s aviation authority suggested that a bird strike might have caused the emergency situation, Reuters reported.
Russia’s aviation authority stated on Telegram: “Preliminary: after a collision with birds, due to an emergency situation on board, its commander decided to ‘go’ to an alternate airfield – Aktau was chosen.”
The aircraft attempted an emergency landing approximately 3 kilometres from Aktau in Kazakhstan.
