Russian President Vladimir Putin has done the right thing by not wasting much time to admit Russian air defence was working when an Azerbaijani Airlines plane tried to land in Grozny before crashing. The Russian leader called his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, apologising the incident took place in Russian airspace.
He, however, stopped short of saying Russian air defence shot the plane. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has reportedly emphasised that the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane encountered external physical and technical interference while in Russian airspace, resulting in a complete loss of control.
Aliyev has reportedly highlighted that the multiple holes in the aircraft’s fuselage, injuries sustained by passengers and crew due to foreign particles penetrating the cabin mid-flight, and testimonies from surviving flight attendants and passengers confirm evidence of external physical and technical interference.
It increasingly appears that ongoing Ukraine-Russia war has caused this tragedy. What is also increasingly clear is that President Putin has spoken the truth, but perhaps not the whole truth.
Moreover, it is however not known where the Azerbaijan plane had fully adhered to the IATA guidelines as the global air traffic authority has a detailed a high-level summary of non-restricted requirements, recommendations and considerations for aircraft operators when managing safe/secure flight operations over, into and near conflict zones (CZs). It is important to note that commercial air travel somehow has continued traversing airspace over the Middle East.
The airlines, their pilots, other crew, and passengers deserve praise for undertaking such hazardous journeys as pilots could see missiles flying through the air from their cockpits. Needless to say, the Middle East too is a major conflict zone, requiring passenger plane operators to take extraordinary precautionary safety measures.
Rashid Ali Rahman (Karachi)
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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