Kazakhstan's Transport Ministry sets timeline for AZAL plane crash investigation

The Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Transport, Talgat Lastaev, has announced the expected timeline for the completion of the investigation into the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane near Aktau in December 2024.

"According to the requirements and standards recommended by ICAO, the investigation will take one year. Therefore, the final report on the investigation should be completed by December of this year," Lastaev stated at a government briefing, Caliber.Az reports via Kazakhstani media.

Lastaev was unable to comment on the progress of the criminal investigation into the crash.

"The criminal investigation is under the jurisdiction of the prosecutor's office. There is an operational-investigative group specifically handling this issue," he explained.

Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, an Embraer 190AR, crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25, 2024, during an emergency landing attempt. The flight, en route from Baku to Grozny, carried 67 people, including 62 passengers and five crew members. The crash resulted in 38 fatalities, with 29 survivors, including three crew members.

Preliminary investigations suggest the aircraft was downed by a Russian "Pantsir-S1" surface-to-air missile during an effort to repel a Ukrainian drone attack over Chechnya. Russian authorities initially downplayed the incident, but further investigation confirmed the missile strike. The investigation also revealed that the plane’s navigation systems were compromised by electronic warfare, hindering the crew’s ability to control the aircraft.

On January 24, Caliber.Az's new findings confirmed that both the individual who fired on the plane and the officer who issued the order have been identified. Additionally, the initial report of the plane being struck by the Russian Pantsir-S1 has been verified.

By Aghakazim Guliyev