On a tragic Christmas morning in Central Asia, an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) Embraer 190, operating flight J2 8243, crashed in Aktau, Kazakhstan, after diverting from Makhachkala (MCX) due to low visibility at its original destination, Grozny (GRV).
The accident resulted in the deaths of 38 people, including both pilots and three cabin crew members. However, 29 passengers survived, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations.
In recent hours, Russian media have raised the hypothesis that during its diversion to the second Russian airport, the aircraft might have been struck by missiles. Some images circulating on social media show damage to the rudder and rear stabilizers, which could be consistent with the impact of a missile equipped with a proximity fuse. This may have affected the aircraft’s control surfaces. However, at the time of publishing this article, local authorities have not established official causes for the accident.
In response to the incident, AZAL announced the immediate suspension of its flights to Grozny and Makhachkala, which operated two and four weekly frequencies, respectively. The company stated that this measure would remain in effect until the causes of the accident are determined.
AZAL connects fourteen Russian cities with Baku, operating up to eight daily flights, according to data from the Cirium platform. Meanwhile, UTAir will continue offering services between the Chechen Republic and Baku, being the only airline currently operating this route.
