Kazakhstan to release updated findings on AZAL plane crash by end of 2025

Kazakhstan's government will provide new information on the investigation into the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane crash near Aktau by the end of 2025, the country's Deputy Transport Minister Maksat Kaliakparov said at a briefing, Report informs.

Kaliakparov noted that while preliminary conclusions were delivered three months after the tragedy, expert analyses remain ongoing. "The investigation continues. More in-depth work and complex examinations are now underway," he stated.

He emphasized the seriousness of the case, adding that it is currently impossible to specify when the investigation will be fully completed. "I cannot guarantee exact timelines, but we will provide the information by the end of this year," he said.

The incident occurred on December 25, 2024, when an Embraer aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, flying from Baku to Grozny, crashed near Aktau. On board were 62 passengers - including 37 Azerbaijani, 16 Russian, six Kazakh, and three Kyrgyz citizens, along with five crew members. A total of 38 people were killed, while 29 survived, among them three children.

According to preliminary findings, the crash was caused by physical and technical external interference that occurred in Russian airspace over Grozny.