Kazakhstan to Release Updated Findings on AZAL Plane Crash Investigation by Late 2025

Kazakh Deputy Transport Minister Maksat Kaliakparov has annnounced that Kazakhstan plans to provide updated information on the investigation into the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) aircraft crash near Aktau Airport by the end of 2025.

Kaliakparov made these remarks at a briefing, The Caspian Post informs via Russian media.

He stated that preliminary conclusions were released three months after the incident, but expert analyses remain ongoing.

“The investigation is continuing. More in-depth work and complex examinations are now underway,” he said.

Describing the case as extremely serious, he noted that it is still too early to specify when the investigation will be completed. “I cannot guarantee exact deadlines at this moment, but by the end of this year we will provide updated information,” he added.

The Embraer aircraft, operated by Azerbaijan Airlines and flying from Baku to Grozny, crashed on December 25, 2024, near the Kazakh city of Aktau. The plane carried 62 passengers - including 37 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russians, six Kazakhs, and three Kyrgyz nationals - along with five crew members. The crash resulted in 38 fatalities, while 29 people survived, among them three children.

Preliminary findings suggest the crash occurred due to physical and technical external interference while the aircraft was in Russian airspace near Grozny. Authorities say further investigation is required to verify these conclusions and determine all contributing factors.