KAZAKHSTAN TO PRESENT FINAL REPORT ON PROBE INTO AKTAU PLANE CRASH BY DECEMBER - OFFICIAL

ASTANA, Feb 19 (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) -- The final report on the investigation into the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane near Kazakhstan's Aktau will be presented by December 2025, Kazakh Vice Minister of Transport, Talgat Lastayev, said on Wednesday, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti.

"According to the requirements and standards and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the investigation must be completed within one year. Accordingly, the final report on the investigation will be completed by December of this year," Lastayev told reporters.

The Kazakh Transport Ministry is waiting for the results of the technical examination, the official said.

"Now the period of examination is underway. There are certain technical examinations, which take time. Now they are underway... we are waiting for the results," Lastayev said.

He added that experts from various countries were in close contact and that the Kazakh Ministry of Transport could not go into details of the plane crash that were not mentioned in the preliminary report. He urged the media to wait for the final report of the committee of inquiry.

"I think this work has no secrets. As a country responsible for the crash investigation, we prioritise objectivity and transparency. These are the main principles of the investigation, which aims primarily to prevent such situations from happening in the future," Lastayev said.

An AZAL Embraer 190 plane flying from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to Russia’s Grozny crashed on December 25 near the western Kazakh city of Aktau. There were 62 passengers and five crew members on board. Kazakhstan's emergencies ministry said 29 people survived. The jetliner's black boxes were sent to Brazil, the home country of Embraer, for decoding to maintain impartiality.

-- BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI