Azerbaijan Airlines announces suspension of flights to seven Russian cities
Azerbaijan Airlines has announced the suspension of flights to seven Russian cities from December 28.
The airline is suspending flights from Baku to Sochi, Volgograd, Ufa, Samara, Grozny, Mineralnye Vody and Makhachkala.
«Taking into account the results of the preliminary investigation into the crash of the Embraer 190 aircraft and possible risks to flight safety, Azerbaijan Airlines suspends flights from Baku to Sochi, Volgograd, Ufa, Samara, Grozny, Mineralnye Vody and Makhachkala until the completion of the final investigation,» the press release says.
Flights to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Astrakhan, Kazan and Novosibirsk will be operated.
The airline added that the decision to suspend flights was made based on the instructions of the State Civil Aviation Agency of Azerbaijan.
Earlier, the Kazakh airline Qazaq Air announced suspension of the flight from Astana to Yekaterinburg.
The Azerbaijan Airlines plane flying from Baku to Grozny crashed near Aktau Airport on December 25, where it was flying urgently after failed attempts to land in Russia. According to Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev, 38 people were killed, 29 survivors were hospitalized. Six citizens of Kazakhstan are among the dead. Three citizens of Kyrgyzstan are among the hospitalized, one of them is in extremely serious condition.
Criminal cases have been opened in Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan for violation of safety rules. A case on negligence has also been opened in Baku.
