Azerbaijan Airlines suspends Baku-Kazan-Baku flights indefinitely due to airspace closure

Press service of Azerbaijan Airlines CJSC has announced that, due to the recent regular closure of airspace over the Russian city of Kazan Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) is indefinitely suspending all flights en route Baku-Kazan-Baku to ensure flight safety.

Passengers of AZAL flights to and from the specified city, who are unable to use the airline’s services due to the current situation, have the opportunity to receive a full refund without penalties or rebook their tickets, Caliber.Az reports, citing press service of AZAL.

To proceed, contact the airline via e-mail callcenter@azal.az.

AZAL continues to monitor the current situation closely and will inform passengers about any changes.

To recap, 38 passengers were killed out of the 67 people on board, while 29 survived when Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432 crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25. The crash occurred after a missile strike caused significant mid-flight damage.

Azerbaijani government sources confirmed that a Russian surface-to-air missile, fired during drone activity above Grozny, struck the plane. Shrapnel from the explosion hit passengers and crew members.

Despite pilots' requests for an emergency landing, Russian authorities denied access to nearby airports, directing the damaged aircraft towards Aktau.

During the flight, the plane's GPS navigation systems were reportedly jammed. The missile was fired from a Pantsir-S air defence system, with Russian forces targeting Ukrainian drones over Chechnya at the time. 

By Aghakazim Guliyev