Alfa Insurance company of Russia has fully implemented the aviation casco insurance payment regarding the crash of the Embraer aircraft belonging to AZAL airline near Aktau, said Ilya Kabachnik, the Deputy General Director for Aviation and Space Insurance of the company, in an interview with Interfax, APA-Economics.

He also mentioned that payments for damages to passengers have been launched.

"The Embraer 190 aircraft of Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), which crashed near Aktau city in Kazakhstan, and the airline's liability to passengers were insured by Alfa Insurance company," Kabachnik said.

According to him, the main part of the risk "was reinsured by the Russian National Reinsurance Company (RNPK)". The full insurance payment for the aircraft was made in February.

He did not disclose the amount of the aviation casco payment. Kabaçnik explained why the company was able to make the payments without waiting for the official investigation to be completed:

"Although the investigation of the crash is ongoing, we have enough information to organize the payments. As an insurer, the main issue for us is the fact of the destruction of the aircraft, and this is indisputable. Moreover, war and terrorism risks were also insured, so the airline will receive the insurance payment in any case," he said.

It was reported that the calculation of damages to passengers and payments to victims and their legal representatives under the airline's liability insurance began in January and is currently ongoing by Alfa Insurance.

The company's Deputy General Directorfor Aviation and Space Insurance noted that the passenger transport process for AZAL’s Baku-Grozny flight is regulated by the 1999 Montreal Convention, which both Azerbaijan and Russia are participants. Since the contract between Alfa Insurance and AZAL covers risks for flights to Russia, the payments are also made in accordance with Russia’s Federal Law No. 67-FZ on mandatory carrier liability.

According to this law, the payment amount for damage to life and health is set at 2 million rubles, and payments can be made quickly after the necessary documents are submitted.

Kabachnik touching on the conditions of the airline's liability insurance for damages to third parties said, "We have no information about any claims related to ground damage, and such claims are not expected. If such cases arise, we will resolve them together with the airline in accordance with the established procedures."

Note that the crash of the Embraer aircraft belonging to AZAL airline took place on December 25, 2024. The aircraft was flying from Baku to Grozny, but after two unsuccessful landing attempts, it was diverted to Aktau. The crash took place about 5 km from the Kazakhstan airport. There were 67 people on board (42 Azerbaijanis, 16 Russians, 6 Kazakhs, and 3 Kyrgyz citizens), 38 of them lost their lives.

According to the preliminary investigation report published by the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan, the AZAL aircraft was damaged by "external objects" before hitting the ground, resulting in hydraulic fluid or pressure loss. The report noted that there was no conclusion regarding the identification of foreign objects found on the Embraer fuselage by the Kazakh side.

Investigations are ongoing. Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Transport, Talgat Lastaev, had previously stated that the final investigation report on the AZAL aircraft crash near Aktau could be published in December 2025.

Source: en.apa.az