MOSCOW
In the wake of a high-profile crash in the region, an Azerbaijan Airlines flight en route to the Russian city of Mineralnye Vody was forced to return to the Azerbaijani capital Baku, the airline announced in a statement.
According to the airline, the flight from Baku to Mineralnye Vody was forced to return to its departure airport due to the closure of airspace over Makhachkala, a Russian Caspian Sea city lying on a route between the two cities.
According to Flightradar24, Flight J28717 departed from Baku at 9.45 am (0545GMT) and was scheduled to land in Mineralnye Vody at 10.20 am. However, after covering approximately 150 kilometers (93 miles), it turned around to head back to the Azerbaijani capital. The plane landed safely at Heydar Aliyev International Airport at 10.13 am local time.
Earlier reports noted that airports in several North Caucasus regions, including Chechnya, had suspended flights.
Earlier in the day Kazakh airline Qazaq Air announced the temporary suspension of flights between Astana and Yekaterinburg, Russia, citing security concerns.
The move came following the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight on Wednesday traveling from Baku to the city of Grozny in Russia’s Chechen Republic on Wednesday which went down near Aktau, located on the Caspian Sea coast, with 67 people onboard.
Kazakh officials said 38 people were killed in the crash of the Embraer 190 aircraft while 29 survived.
Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan launched investigations into the accident.
Earlier Thursday, senior Azerbaijani officials confirmed to Anadolu that the crash was caused by a Russian missile system.
But Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, maintained that the crash was likely caused by a bird strike which forced the aircraft to divert to Aktau. The plane had departed Baku for Grozny but veered off course over the Caspian Sea before the crash.
Kazakh authorities and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev called for restraint in speculation, noting that bad weather may have played a role in the flight’s diversion.
The crash occurred amid heightened activity of Russian air defenses targeting Ukrainian drones in the region. Public flight data shows GPS jamming in the area, further fueling questions. However, Peskov reiterated that conclusions must await the official investigation.
