BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 30. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called for a thorough, impartial and transparent investigation into the tragic crash of Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) flight on December 25, TurkicWorld reports.
"Civil aircraft must never be the intended or accidental target of military operations. The strong potential that Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243 could have been the victim of military operations, as indicated by several governments including Russia and Azerbaijan, places the highest priority on conducting a thorough, transparent, and impartial investigation. The world eagerly awaits the required publication of the interim report within 30 days, in line with international obligations agreed in the Chicago Convention. And should the conclusion be that this tragedy was the responsibility of combatants, the perpetrators must be held accountable and brought to justice," said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
On December 25, an AZAL Embraer 190, flying from Baku to Grozny, crashed 3 kilometers from Aktau airport.
The plane was carrying 67 people in total, including 62 passengers and 5 crew members.
On December 26, 14 victims, along with the bodies of four deceased passengers, were transferred to Azerbaijan.
The crash resulted in 38 fatalities and 29 injuries.
The plane’s black boxes have been recovered, and efforts are underway to analyze them in line with international aviation protocols. An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing, with final conclusions to be drawn after completing all necessary research and data analysis.
