Kazakhstan will establish a specialized center for investigating air incidents by the end of the year, Deputy Transport Minister Talgat Lastayev announced during a government meeting.
The decision follows the crash of an Azerbaijani AZAL Airlines aircraft near Aktau in December last year, which prompted an inspection of domestic airlines. According to Lastayev, air accident investigation is one of the eight critical safety parameters assessed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and Kazakhstan currently scores 51% in this area, the lowest among all indicators.
“To improve the situation, we plan to establish a specialized air accident investigation center by the end of the year, equipping it with highly qualified specialists and the necessary technical resources,” Lastayev said.
Kazakh aviation authorities are also preparing a report on the AZAL Embraer 190 crash near Aktau.
As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, a preliminary investigation into the incident revealed evidence of external impact on the aircraft’s fuselage while it was approaching Grozny Airport before continuing to Aktau.
Experts identified multiple perforations and non-penetrating damages of various shapes and sizes in the tail section, vertical stabilizer, horizontal stabilizer, elevator, and rudder. However, the final report on the crash has yet to be released.
Lastayev also noted that inspections were conducted not only on airlines but also on major airports in Aktau, Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, Pavlodar, and Ust-Kamenogorsk. Assessing the response of Aktau Airport staff during the AZAL crash, he stated that their actions were carried out “at the highest level.”
Additionally, Lastayev highlighted staffing challenges in Kazakhstan’s civil aviation sector. Of the 1,500 pilots working for domestic airlines, 400 are foreign, as Kazakhstan is forced to rely on foreign personnel due to the lack of an EASA PART-FCL certification at the Almaty Academy of Civil Aviation.
Kazakhstan’s domestic air transport network is currently served by six airlines operating 56 routes. Each year, Kazakh airlines acquire approximately 10 to 15 new aircraft, with the national fleet now totaling 104 planes.
