I spoke about the heroism of the crew members during the farewell ceremony. I want to say again that this is a truly great sacrifice. I said that most likely the pilots knew that they would not survive this accident. They were experienced pilots, and thanks purely to their professionalism they managed to bring the plane, which was out of control, down somehow even though it had to make an emergency landing. They were able to land the plane.

Axar.az reports that President Ilham Aliyev said this during a meeting with the family member of the crew who perished in the plane crash and surviving flight attendants.

He stated that the other members of the crew – the flight attendants – also showed composure:

"They showed great courage to prevent chaos on the plane. They also saw and knew what awaited them. They probably did not even hope that they would be able to get out of this situation safely. To behave with restraint, composure, and courage in such a situation, of course, once again demonstrates their high qualities, especially considering that two of the flight attendants were women."

President emphasized that Azerbaijani state has always appreciated the activities and heroism of its sons and daughters:

"This time, too, the heroism of the crew was also acknowledged. Three of the crew members were posthumously awarded the high title of National Hero, while the two surviving crew members were also awarded high state honors. This may be a small consolation for the families who lost their loved ones, but it is also the attitude of the Azerbaijani state towards its citizens."

Ilham Aliyev noted that every deceased person is dear not only for their relatives, for their family, but also for the Azerbaijani state:

"And the way we promptly reacted to this, the principled manner in which we acted in this situation goes to show that the life of every Azerbaijani citizen is priceless for us and we will demand justice and the punishment of those responsible for the deaths of Azerbaijani citizens in this disaster."