Azerbaijan Airlines announced on Friday the suspension of flights to seven Russian cities following a tragic incident where one of its Russia-bound jets veered off course and crashed in western Kazakhstan on Wednesday.
The decision to halt flights was influenced by the initial findings from the crash investigation and concerns over flight safety. This comes after reports suggesting that the plane might have been inadvertently shot down by a Russian air defense missile.
38 passengers were killed on Wednesday after Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432 crashed while attempting to make an emergency landing near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan.
Azerbaijani government sources have exclusively confirmed to Euronews on Thursday that a Russian surface-to-air missile was responsible for the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Aktau on Wednesday.
The sources detailed that the missile was launched during drone activity over Grozny. It exploded adjacent to the aircraft, with shrapnel striking the passengers and cabin crew.
Government sources have told that the damaged aircraft was not permitted to land at any Russian airports despite the pilots’ emergency requests, forcing it to fly across the Caspian Sea towards Aktau in Kazakhstan.
Additionally, there were reports that the plane’s GPS navigation systems were being jammed throughout its journey over the sea, further complicating the situation.
