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Kazakhstan continues AZAL crash investigation
A drone view shows emergency specialists working at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, 25 December, 2024
Azertag
Kazakhstan says it is continuing its investigation into the 2024 Azerbaijan Airlines crash near Aktau, with the official inquiry still ongoing.
In a statement, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport said the commission examining the disaster remains at work in line with Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organization convention, which governs international air accident investigations.
The ministry added that, once completed, the final report will be published on its official website and will include the identified causes of the crash, the commission’s conclusions and safety recommendations.
The crash
The incident occurred on 25 December 2024, when an Embraer 190 operated by Azerbaijan Airlines was flying from Baku to Grozny.
The aircraft crashed near Aktau after attempting an emergency landing. Of the 67 people on board, 38 were killed and 29 survived, including three children.
Passengers included Azerbaijani, Russian, Kazakh and Kyrgyz nationals.
The settlement
Last month, Azerbaijan and Russia announced a formal settlement covering compensation for victims’ families and the injured, stating that all outstanding bilateral issues linked to the tragedy had been resolved.
The agreement followed understandings reached between Ilham Aliyev and Vladimir Putin during talks in Dushanbe in October 2025. However, Kazakhstan made clear that the diplomatic settlement does not replace the independent technical investigation.
Azerbaijan has previously said preliminary findings indicated the aircraft was damaged by external interference while flying over Russian territory near Grozny.
Officials have cited evidence consistent with the unintentional action of a Russian air defence system during an attempted interception of Ukrainian drones.
Kazakh authorities said laboratory analysis remains under way, including examinations by foreign specialists and manufacturer-linked technical experts. The final report is expected to be closely watched across the region, given the crash’s legal, aviation and geopolitical implications.
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