BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 28. The AZAL crew exhibited extraordinary professionalism and heroism in a tragic plane crash in Kazakhstan's Aktau, French La Gazette du Caucase online-newspaper said in an article, TurkicWorld reports.
"As details of the AZAL crash continue to emerge, experts and the public alike are hailing the crew as heroes. Pilots and flight attendants worked tirelessly until the final moments to save lives. During the crash, three of the five crew members on board the Embraer-190 lost their lives: Captain Igor Kshnyakin, co-pilot Aleksandr Kalyaninov, and flight attendant Hokuma Aliyeva.
Captain Kshnyakin had logged over 15,000 flight hours, including 11,200 as a captain. Remembered as a skilled pilot, his loss is a significant blow to Azerbaijan’s aviation industry. Although less experienced, co-pilot Kalyaninov’s actions during the incident demonstrated remarkable resolve and dedication. Flight attendant Hokuma Aliyeva’s calming voice reassured passengers during the most harrowing moments. Reports indicate that Aliyeva had planned to leave aviation to pursue a legal career, but fate intervened.
The AZAL crew exhibited extraordinary professionalism and heroism, saving dozens of lives in what seemed to be a hopeless situation," the article reads.
An Embraer 190 passenger plane belonging to AZAL, flying on the Baku-Grozny route, crashed 3 kilometers from Aktau airport on December 25. A total of 67 people (62 passengers and 5 crew members) were on board the plane.
Following the crash of the passenger plane, 27 people were admitted to the hospital. Of them, 15 people are citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 8 of the Russian Federation, and 3 of the Kyrgyz Republic. The identity of one person has not yet been established.
Both pilots of the crew as well as the flight attendant were killed; two crew members survived.
On December 26, 14 victims and the bodies of four dead were delivered to Azerbaijan.
