Kazakhstan says final report on AZAL crash due after New Year

The investigation into the downing of Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, which crashed near Aktau on 25 December 2024, is nearing completion, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev said on Wednesday.

Bozumbayev, who chairs the state commission handling the inquiry, told RIA Novosti that the timeline for such probes typically spans about a year, and that work remained on schedule.

The Embraer 190AR aircraft, carrying 67 people from Baku to Grozny, crashed during an emergency landing attempt, killing 38 passengers and crew. Among those on board were 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russians, six Kazakhs and three Kyrgyz nationals.

Preliminary findings indicated the jet was struck by a Russian Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air missile, launched during a defensive operation against a reported Ukrainian drone incursion over Chechnya. Investigators also determined that the aircraft had suffered earlier interference from electronic warfare systems, which disrupted navigation and control.

On 28 December 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered condolences and an apology in a call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. During the conversation, President Aliyev demanded accountability and compensation for victims and their families.

Russian authorities initially issued conflicting accounts of the incident but later confirmed that a missile had caused the crash. By late January, officials had identified both the officer who authorised the launch and the operator who fired it.

Bozumbayev previously disclosed that the aircraft’s avionics module had been sent to the U.S. for further analysis.

In a meeting on 9 October, President Putin assured President Aliyev that a legal review of all responsible parties was under way. President Aliyev, in turn, thanked him for personally overseeing the proceedings.

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