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Azerbaijan Airlines halts several Russian routes after crash – DW –

Azerbaijan Airlines halts several Russian routes after crash

Azerbaijan Airlines says a jet that crashed killing most passengers in Kazakhstan appears to have been exposed to “external physical and technical interference.” The airline has halted flights to several Russian cities.

Azerbaijan Airlines said it would suspend seven of its routes to Russia, but Russian media reported that several other routes would remain in operationImage: Meiramgul Kussainova/Anadolu/picture alliance
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Azerbaijan Airlines suspended flights to seven Russian cities on Friday in the wake of an Wednesday’s plane crash in Kazakhstan.

It comes after allegations that the plane had been downed by a Russian air defense missile, killing most of the passengers on board.

The airline said it was “taking into account the initial results of the investigation into the crash… and taking into account flight safety risks.”

News agency Interfax said Azerbaijan Airlines would still run flights to six major Russian cities including Moscow and St Petersburg.

Meanwhile, an Azerbaijan Airlines flight to the southern Russian city of Mineralnie Vody turned back to Baku on Friday after a chunk of Russian airspace was closed, Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported.

Kremlin declines to comment amid investigation
The Kremlin said it was too early to comment on the allegations that a Russian air defense missile was responsible for the Azerbaijan Airlines crash.

“An investigation is underway, and until the conclusions of the investigation, we do not consider we have the right to make any comments and we will not do so,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.

News outlets including Reuters and the New York Times reported that a Russian missile was likely involved in the crash, citing Azerbaijani security sources close to the investigation.

“No one claims that it was done on purpose. However, taking into account the established facts, Baku expects the Russian side to confess to the shooting down of the Azerbaijani aircraft,” a source told Reuters on Thursday.

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