Azerbaijan to film documentary honouring AZAL flight attendant perished in Aktau crash

The Honored Art Worker of Azerbaijan, director, and screenwriter Ziya Shikhlinsky is preparing to shoot a new film.

The short documentary film will focus on the life of flight attendant Hokuma Aliyeva, who worked aboard an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) Embraer 190 aircraft that tragically crashed in Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25, 2024, while en route from Baku to Grozny, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

Filming is set to begin soon. The artistic director of the documentary is People's Artist of Azerbaijan and Chairman of the Union of Cinematographers of Azerbaijan (UCA), Rasim Balayev. The screenplay and direction are by Ziya Shikhlinsky, while the cinematographer is Adil Abbasov, a board member of the UCA and Honored Art Worker of the Republic.

To note, by a decree of President Ilham Aliyev on December 29, 2024, Hokuma Jalil gizi Aliyeva was posthumously awarded the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan and the “Gizil Ulduz” (Golden Star) medal. She was laid to rest at the II Alley of Honor in Baku, Azerbaijan.

On December 25, 2024, Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243, an Embraer 190AR, tragically crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, during an emergency landing attempt. The flight was en route from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, and carried 67 individuals, including 62 passengers and five crew members. Among the passengers, there were 42 Azerbaijanis, 16 Russians, six Kazakhs, and three Kyrgyz nationals. The crash claimed 38 lives, while 29 survivors, including three crew members, were rescued. Of the five crew members, two tragically lost their lives, and three survived.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the aircraft was struck by a Russian surface-to-air missile during efforts to repel a Ukrainian drone attack over Chechnya.

On December 28, the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan had a telephone conversation. Vladimir Putin expressed condolences and apologised to Ilham Aliyev for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace. The Azerbaijani president demanded Putin bring to justice those responsible and provide compensation to Baku, as well as to the injured passengers and crew members.

By Khagan Isayev