Azerbaijan's flag carrier announced on Friday that it would suspend flights to several Russian airports, citing potential risks to flight safety following the crash of one of its planes, which many experts blamed on Russian air defense fire.
An Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 was flying from Azerbaijan's capital Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when, for reasons still unclear, it was diverted and crashed while attempting to land in Aktau, Kazakhstan, after flying east through the Caspian Sea. 38 people died in the disaster and 29 survivors were injured.
Azerbaijan Airlines said in a statement that it would suspend flights to more Russian cities “in view of the preliminary results of the investigation into the crash of Embraer 190 flight J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny, caused by physical and technical interference, and taking into account the potential risk to flight safety.”
The airline did not specify what it meant by “physical and technical interference.”
Authorities in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia remained silent on the possible cause of the crash pending an official investigation, but an Azerbaijani lawmaker blamed Moscow. Rasim Musabekov told Azerbaijan's Turan news agency on Thursday that the plane was fired upon as it flew over Grozny and called on Russia to offer an official apology.
As Azerbaijan mourns the 38 people killed aboard a plane that crashed in Kazakhstan, experts point to signs they say suggest a missile, potentially Russian, was responsible for the attack.
When asked about Musabekow's statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment, saying it would be up to investigators to determine the causes of the crash.
“The aviation incident is being investigated and we do not believe we have the right to make any assessments until the investigation brings conclusions,” Peskov said during a conference call with reporters.
Azerbaijani investigators are working in Grozny as part of the investigation into the crash, the Azerbaijani prosecutor general's office said in a statement.
Experts say the plane was likely hit by a Russian defense system
After an official investigation into the crash began, some aviation experts pointed out that holes visible in the rear of the plane suggested it may have come under fire from Russian air defense systems, repelling an attack by Ukrainian drones.
Ukrainian drones have previously attacked Grozny, the capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, and other regions in the North Caucasus. An official in Chechnya said another drone attack on the region was repelled on Wednesday, although federal authorities did not report it.
FlightRadar24 reported in an online post that the plane experienced “strong GPS jamming” that disrupted flight tracking data. Russia makes extensive use of sophisticated jamming equipment to counter drone attacks.
The airline suspends flights to additional Russian cities
After Wednesday's suspension of flights from Baku to Groz and Makhachkala, Azerbaijan Airlines also suspended connections to Mineralnye Vody, Sochi, Volgograd, Ufa and Samara on Friday.
The company will continue to operate flights to six other Russian cities, including Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kazan. These cities have also been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian drone attacks in the past.
Kazakhstan's Qazaq Air also announced on Friday that it was suspending flights from Astana to the Russian city of Yekaterinburg in the Urals for a month.
A day earlier, Israel's El Al suspended flights from Tel Aviv to Moscow, citing “developments in the Russian airspace.” The airline said it would reassess the situation next week and decide whether to resume flights.