Azerbaijan Airlines has suspended flights to Russian cities and cited “external physical and technical interference” as the cause of the crash. A pro-government Azerbaijani website, Caliber, has reported that a missile from a Pantsir-S air defence system may have downed the plane, citing unnamed officials.
Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J28243, an Embraer 190 aircraft, crashed in Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Christmas Day, resulting in the loss of 38 lives out of 67 people on board. The flight had taken off from Baku, Azerbaijan, bound for Grozny, Russia, but was diverted due to fog and subsequently crashed in an open field.
Preliminary reports suggest that the plane may have been struck by a Russian surface-to-air missile, which was allegedly “accidentally fired”. This hypothesis has been rejected by the Kremlin, which has warned against speculation. An investigation is currently underway to determine the cause of the crash.
Eyewitness accounts from passengers and crew members describe hearing loud bangs before the plane crashed. One passenger, Subhonkul Rakhimov, recalled, “After the bang…I thought the plane was going to fall apart”. Another passenger, Vafa Shabanova, reported hearing two loud bangs and being told to move to the back of the plane by a flight attendant.
The crash site has revealed significant damage to the aircraft’s nose, with holes and shrapnel consistent with a missile strike. Military and aviation experts have pointed out these findings in foreign media reports.
As the investigation continues, questions remain about the circumstances surrounding the crash. The incident has sparked concerns about air safety and the use of surface-to-air missiles in the region.
