Azerbaijan's pilots will be remembered in golden letters in global aviation history: Minister

As a result of the crash of the Baku-Grozny plane due to an external technical and physical impact, we lost our valuable pilots and passengers, and today we are sending them off to their final destination.

Azernews reports that this was stated today by the Minister of Digital Development and Transportation of Azerbaijan, Rashad Nabiyev, at the farewell ceremony held at Heydar Aliyev International Airport for the three crew members who died in the crash near Aktau (pilots Igor Kshnyakin, Alexander Kalyaninov, and flight attendant Hokuma Aliyeva).

The minister noted that the unanimous conclusion of both local and foreign experts is that the pilots saved dozens of lives by making the most optimal landing possible under those circumstances.

"The courage, professionalism, and bravery of the plane's captain Igor Kshnyakin, pilot Alexander Kalyaninov, and flight attendant Hokuma Aliyeva have been widely covered not only in Azerbaijani media but also in international media."

"In the truest sense of the word, the world looks with admiration at the current level of our pilots and aviation. We believe that the bravery shown by our pilots has left a new mark on the heroic page of Azerbaijan. Their names will be written in golden letters not only in Azerbaijani aviation but also in the history of world aviation," he added.

It should be noted that tonight, the remains of the three crew members (pilots Igor Kshnyakin, Alexander Kalyaninov, and flight attendant Hokuma Aliyeva) and 21 passengers who died as a result of the crash of the Embraer 190 aircraft of Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 Baku-Grozny near the city of Aktau were brought to Baku.

Additionally, the bodies of 4 people who died in this accident and 14 people who were injured were previously brought to Baku.