12:52

On December 29, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva attended a farewell ceremony at Heydar Aliyev International Airport for the crew members who died in the crash of the plane en route from Baku to Grozny. They expressed their condolences to the families and relatives of the victims.

According to the Presidential Press Service, the AZAL plane flying from Baku to Grozny on December 25 was hit by the Russian air defense systems over Grozny’s airspace and suffered significant damage. The plane was not allowed to land, so it diverted to Aktau, where it crashed near the airport. As a result, 38 out of the 67 people onboard lost their lives, while 29 survived.

Both pilots, Igor Kshnyakin (captain) and Aleksandr Kalyaninov (co-pilot) were killed in the crash and have been laid to rest today in the II Alley of Honor.