Several airlines cancel flights to Russia after Azerbaijan Airlines crash

By AFP   December 28, 2024 | 05:32 pm PT
Several airlines cancel flights to Russia after Azerbaijan Airlines crash
In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. Photo by AP
Several airlines have announced the suspension of flights to Russian cities, after an Azerbaijan Airlines plane with 67 people on board crashed.

It crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau Wednesday, killing 38 of the 67 people on board.

Turkmenistan Airlines -- the national carrier of the reclusive Central Asian state -- was the latest airline to announce cancelations Saturday.

It said that "regular flights between Ashgabat-Moscow-Ashgabat were canceled from 30/12/2024 to 31/01/2025," without giving an explanation.

The decision came after UAE airline flydubai suspended flights between Dubai and the southern Russian cities of Mineralnye Vody and Sochi that were scheduled between December 27 and January 3.

Kazakhstan's Qazaq Air has suspended its flights to Russia's Urals city of Yekaterinburg until the end of January.

Earlier this week, Israeli airline El Al said it was suspending its flights to Moscow for a week.

The Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 crashed near the western Kazakh city of Aktau, on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

It was carrying out a flight between Azerbaijan's capital Baku and the city of Grozny in Russia.

Citing preliminary results of an investigation, Azerbaijan's transport minister said Friday that the crash suffered physical "external interference."

Statements from Azerbaijan citing the investigation into the incident suggest Baku believes the plane was hit mid-air.

 
 
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