State Aviation Service to inspect Ukraine International Airlines

"We offer our condolences to the families and loved ones of the Iran air crash victims. According to the decision of the State Aviation Service, Ukrainian airlines have been banned from performing flights in the airspace of Iran from 00:00 on January 9, 2020 until the causes of the disaster are clarified. The State Aviation Service will conduct an unscheduled inspection of the safety of UIA flights. There will also be additional safety inspections of other airlines," the press service of the Infrastructure Ministry quoted Kryklii as saying.

According to him, representatives of the State Aviation Service will also join a group that will be sent to Iran to investigate the causes of the crash. The team will also include experts from the National Bureau of Air Accidents Investigation of Ukraine and UIA representatives.

"It will be possible to name the causes of the tragedy only after an official investigation has been carried out," the minister said.

A Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) plane heading from Tehran to Kyiv crashed shortly after taking off from the Imam Khomeini International Airport at about 06:00 Tehran time (04:30 Kyiv time) on Wednesday, January 8.

According to Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, there were 177 people on board the aircraft - 168 passengers (including two Ukrainians) and nine crew (all Ukrainians).

Most of the victims of the Ukrainian plane crash in Tehran are citizens of Iran (82) and Canada (63). The death toll also includes ten Swedes, four citizens of Afghanistan, three Germans and three Britons.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that regardless of the conclusions regarding the causes of the plane crash in Iran, the airworthiness of the entire commercial aircraft fleet of Ukraine would be conducted.

op