I can confidently state that the responsibility for the deaths of Azerbaijani citizens in the Aktau plane crash lies with representatives of the Russian Federation.
President Ilham Aliyev made this statement during a meeting with the families of the deceased crew members and the surviving flight attendants.
According to him, “We demand justice, we demand that the perpetrators be held accountable, and we demand full transparency and humane behavior.”
He added that the process of decoding the black boxes is currently underway.
“I am confident that in the near future, we will receive preliminary results, and everything will become clear. The full picture of the tragic event will emerge, which will undoubtedly play a crucial role in the comprehensive investigation of this tragedy and in holding the responsible parties accountable,” Aliyev emphasized.
The President noted that if the city of Grozny had taken timely measures to close its airspace, if ground services had acted in accordance with all regulations, and if proper coordination had existed between the Russian Federation’s armed forces and civilian services, this tragedy could have been avoided.
Aliyev stressed that had the Russian Federation’s official agencies made an objective effort to investigate the tragedy from the very first moments or hours, Azerbaijan might have agreed to have the black boxes decoded by the Interstate Aviation Committee. He highlighted Azerbaijan’s decades-long cooperation with this organization, which has actively investigated air crashes in the post-Soviet space.
However, according to the President, attempts to conceal the circumstances of the incident and portray it as the result of a collision with “birds” or a “gas cylinder” raised serious doubts about the objectivity of the investigation, both for him personally and for the Azerbaijani public.
He also expressed condolences to the families of the crew members and all those who lost their lives in the crash, emphasizing that the professionalism, dedication, and heroism of the crew helped save approximately 30 people.
The President highlighted that international media are extensively covering this tragic event, and experts particularly commend the professionalism and heroism of the pilots and other crew members. He stated that conducting an emergency landing under external interference in Russian airspace and bringing an almost uncontrollable aircraft to the shore required exceptional skill and extraordinary bravery.
Aliyev noted that none of the crew succumbed to panic, even though they were fully aware that their chances of survival were minimal. He speculated that the pilots likely knew it would be their final flight but still did everything in their power to save lives. According to the President, this is the essence of true heroism, and if there are criteria for assessing selflessness and bravery, this situation meets all such standards.
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The president also met with the surviving flight attendants who managed to survive the tragic incident, Caliber.Az reports via the president’s press service.
In a show of solidarity, President Aliyev expressed his condolences to the victims’ families and assured them of the state’s full support in this difficult time. He also praised the resilience of the survivors and extended his best wishes for their recovery.
The tragic crash has sent shockwaves across Azerbaijan, with national mourning and widespread public grief over the loss of the crew members and the impact on their families.
To recall, on December 25, 2024, an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) passenger plane Embraer-190 travelling from Baku to Grozny crashed near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan. The plane was carrying 67 people, including 37 Azerbaijanis, 16 Russians, 6 Kazakhs, and 3 Kyrgyz nationals. Sadly, 38 people lost their lives in the crash, while 29 survived. Preliminary investigations point to the possibility of external physical and technical interference as factors contributing to the crash.
