Busts, memorials erected in honor of late Azerbaijan airlines crew members PHOTO/VIDEO

Busts have been installed at the graves of three Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) crew members — aircraft commander Igor Kshnyakin, pilot Alexander Kalyaninov, and flight attendant Hokuma Aliyeva — who tragically lost their lives in the December 2024 plane crash involving an Embraer 190 passenger jet.

According to Caliber.Az, a commemorative plaque has also been placed nearby in their memory.

The tragedy occurred on December 25, 2024, when Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, operating an Embraer 190AR from Baku to Grozny, crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, during an attempted emergency landing. The aircraft was carrying 67 people, including 62 passengers and five crew members.

Among those on board were 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russians, six Kazakhs, and three Kyrgyz nationals. The disaster claimed 38 lives, including three crew members, while 29 individuals, among them two crew members, survived the crash.

By Sabina Mammadli