62 killed in flydubai crash
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A passenger aircraft operated by flydubai has crashed in Russia, reportedly killing all 62 people onboard.
Recent reports state that the airline has announced its intent to grant US$20,000 in hardship payments to the family of each passenger killed.
“At present, our priority is to identify and contact families of those lost in the tragic accident and provide immediate support to those affected. flydubai will additionally organise a programme of hardship payments to families, in accordance with our Conditions of Carriage, with the aim of addressing immediate financial needs,” the airline said in an emailed press statement.
The aircraft was attempting to land in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, following a direct flight from Dubai, when it crashed. Russian news site RT, citing the Interfax news agency, reported a local source as saying that poor visibility had caused the pilot to make two attempts at landing the aircraft.
“According to preliminary data, the Boeing 738 crashed in poor visibility conditions, some 50-100 metres left of the runway. The plane… crashed during the second approach,” the source told Interfax.
An earlier flydubai statement mentioned that there were 44 Russians, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one Uzbek among the 55 passengers who died. The pilot was Cypriot, the co-pilot and another crew member were Spanish and the other three crew members were from the Seychelles, Colombia and Kyrgyzstan, Reuters reported, citing the Russian emergency ministry.
“On behalf of everyone at flydubai, I would like to express the devastation we all feel in relation to this morning’s tragic events in Rostov-on-Don,” said the airline’s CEO, Ghaith al Ghaith. “Our primary concern is for the passengers and crew involved at this tragic time. Everyone in our company is in deep shock and our hearts go out to all loved ones of those involved.
“We do not yet know all the details of the incident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish precisely what happened. We are making every effort to care for those affected and will provide assistance to the families and friends of those who were onboard,” he added.
Boeing has said that it will send technical advisor to help with the investigate, which is being led by the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC).
A low-cost carrier, flydubai was founded in 2008 started flying the following year. Until now it has had an unblemished safety record. The airline operates a fleet of 50 almost entirely new Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
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