Plane crash in Aktau: Azerbaijani president returns to Baku

Tengrinews.kz - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is returning to Baku following the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane in Kazakhstan, according to Russian media.

The passenger plane crashed in Aktau on the morning of December 25.

Aliyev was traveling from Russia, where he was scheduled to participate in the traditional pre-New Year informal summit of CIS leaders in St. Petersburg. These informal summits typically lack an official agenda and include bilateral and trilateral meetings between the heads of CIS states.

Earlier, the Kremlin announced that the summit would review Russia’s 2024 CIS chairmanship and allow leaders to discuss matters in an informal setting.

Preparations for the 80th anniversary of Victory Day in 2025 were also expected to be part of the discussions.

Initial reports about the Azerbaijan Airlines plane, en route from Baku to Grozny, requesting an emergency landing in Aktau appeared at 11:20 A.M.

According to Grozny airport’s press service, the plane was diverted due to dense fog. It was initially redirected to Makhachkala before being sent to Aktau.

Azerbaijani news portals reported on the preliminary cause of the crash.