Flydubai to pay $20,000 to victims' families

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Flydubai to pay $20,000 to victims families
A psychologist attends to the family of one of the flydubai crash victims.

Moscow - Vladimir Markin, the spokesman for the Investigative Committee, said experts have found the cockpit conversation recorder and are continuing the search for another one which records parameters of the flight.

By Agencies (With inputs from KT Reporters)

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Published: Sun 20 Mar 2016, 6:16 AM

Last updated: Mon 21 Mar 2016, 12:42 AM

Russian investigators probing the crash of flydubai plane in southern Russia that killed all 62 people on board have found one of the plane's flight recorders.
Must read: Insights into the flydubai flight crash press conference
Vladimir Markin, the spokesman for the Investigative Committee, said experts have found the cockpit conversation recorder and are continuing the search for another one which records parameters of the flight.
Here's the latest statement on FLyDubai plane as of Sunday:
"At present, our priority is to identify and contact the 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 the families amounting to $20,000 per passenger, in accordance with our Conditions of Carriage, with the aim of addressing immediate financial needs."
FlyDubai also confirmed later yesterday that the black box had been found as well.

Emirates Airline offers assistance
Another statement by the CEO of Fly Dubai
Update 6: Statement from the CEO, Ghaith Al GhaithOn behalf of everyone at flydubai, I would like to express the...
Posted by flydubai on Saturday, 19 March 2016
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The crash's cause wasn't immediately known, but officials suggested it could have been caused by a gust of wind.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai offers his condolences to the families of victims of  flydubai flight FZ981
In a statement, FlyDubai noted that FZ981 left Dubai at 18:20 GMT. The accident occurred at Rostov on Don at approximately 00:50 GMT.
Update 5:Statement relating to flydubai flight FZ981 Following our earlier statements more information is now...
Posted by flydubai on Saturday, 19 March 2016
In an updated statement, FlyDubai said that the airline's emergency response teams are en-route to Rostov-On-Don. 
Very important information: FlyDubai crash: Full list of passengers
 Russia's emergencies ministry said the aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, crashed at 03:50 (0030 GMT) at the airport in Rostov at the end of a flight from Dubai.

The aircraft - a Boeing 737-800 - was carrying 55 passengers and seven crew members. According to FlyDubai, initial information suggests that the victims include 33 women, 18 men, and four children. 
 The Dubai Media Office says those killed in the crash of the FlyDubai airliner in Russia include 44 Russians, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one person from Uzbekistan.The media office offered condolences on behalf of the entire United Arab Emirates for those who lost loved ones.
On Twitter, the office says the entire UAE, a federation of seven emirates, offered "its deepest condolences to the families of the victims & to the Russian government & people."
"We are doing all we can to gather information as quickly as possible," the airline said in a statement. "At this moment our thoughts and prayers are with our passengers and our crew who were on board the aircraft." 
"We are putting our emergency response in place and we will be working closely with the authorities involved," the statement added. "We will share as much information as possible just as soon as we can and we will provide updated information on a regular basis."
Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, went to the FlyDubai operations room on Saturday morning to lead the crisis management process.
"We have taken all necessary measures in accordance with the crisis response mechanism," Dubai Media Office quoted him as saying. "We will ensure that the families of the victims are provided with all forms of support."
Russia's Embassy in the UAE has confirmed that UAE residents were among the victims. 
The aircraft had to abandon an initial attempt to land and came down while making a repeat attempt, according to a ministry statement.
An official from the investigative committee, a state body that routinely investigates major incidents, told Reuters from Rostov that "according to preliminary information" everyone on board the jet had died.
Russian officials have noted that poor weather is a possible cause of the crash. 
A statement from Russia's emergencies ministry noted that the aircraft abandoned an initial attempt to land at the airport and crashed while making a second attempt. 
The Associated Press reported that winds were between 30 and 55 miles per hour and that it was raining at the time. 
Regional governor Vasily Golubev said that the wind was the "primary line of investigation", but Reuters has reported that Zhanna Terekhova, an advisor to Russia's transport ministry, has said that pilot error might also be a factor.
At a press briefing in Rostov on Don, a representative of Russia's emergency ministry noted that the flight recorders have yet to be recovered from the scene.
Unverified CCTV footage from a nearby security camera showed a massive explosion at ground level. 
Most of the passengers on board were Russian, the regional governor said on television.
"Three foreigners were on the passenger list of the plane, but that information needs checking" an emergency ministry official said on Rossiya-24 news channel.
Dubai-based airline Flydubai said on Saturday that it was investigating an "incident" regarding one of its flights to southern Russia.
We are aware of an incident involving our flight FZ981 from Dubai to Rostov On Don. We are investigating further details and will publish an update once more information is available.
Posted by flydubai on Friday, 18 March 2016
"We are aware of an incident involving our flight FZ981 from Dubai to Rostov On Don. We are investigating further details and will publish an update once more information is available," the budget carrier wrote on its official Facebook page.
"Our primary concern is for the families of the passengers and crew who were on board. Everyone at FlyDubai is in deep shock and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those involved," FlyDubai CEO Ghaith al Ghaith said in a statement. "We don't yet know the details of the accident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish the cause." 
Statement by flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith regarding FZ981Statement by flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith regarding FZ981 from Dubai to Rostov-on-Don 19 March 2016
Posted by flydubai on Friday, 18 March 2016
FlyDubai has activated family reception centres for family members and has set up two phone numbers (+44 203 450 8853  and +971 (0) 42934100) for relatives. 
 It was a very young plane and delivered to flydubai in 2011. Flydubai operates a single type fleet of 50 Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft with an average age of 3.4 years. Flydubai launched ?the Russian route in September 2013. The airline served around 20 CIS states including 10 Russian cities
"It's too early to say the exact cause or reasons for the crash, but early indications point to a crash landing in poor weather," Saj Ahmad, the chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research, told Khaleej Times.
 Earlier this month, flydubai became the member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). "Flydubai successfully completed its IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) last year. The audit, which is a pre-requisite for an IATA membership, examined all the operational departments across the airline to ensure that the carrier's internal processes promote; safety, integrity and effectiveness in its management systems," the carrier announced on March 9.
The carrier has built a network of 89 destinations served by more than 1,700 flights a week operating out of Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC).
 Update 2:flydubai regrets to confirm that flight FZ981 crashed on landing and that fatalities have been confirmed as a...
 
 For any concerned friends or family, the flydubai family assistance centre can be reached on + 44 203 4508 853 or +9714 293 4100.
For any press enquiries, please contact our Media Contact Centre +1 407 205 1813 or email mcc@kenyoninternational.com
Posted by flydubai on Friday, 18 March 2016 
Update 3:flydubai is deeply sorry to confirm the following information in relation to the tragic accident involving...
Posted by flydubai on Friday, 18 March 2016
Sequence of events
Place: Moscow
The Latest on the crash of the FlyDubai Boeing 737-800 in Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia (all times local):
7 am
A flight-tracking service says a FlyDubai plane that crashed in Russia made one failed landing before the disaster.
Ian Petchenik, a spokesman for the website Flightradar24, told The Associated Press on Saturday that the Boeing 737-800 initially tried to land at Rostov on Don at 2231 GMT.
Petchenik says: "Based on our data, what it looks like is the aircraft made an initial landing attempt."
He said the plane then entered a holding pattern at 2327 GMT near the airport, then left the holding pattern to try and land again at 0028 GMT. The flight offered its last data at 0041 GMT and lost contact.
Russian officials say the plane had 55 passengers and six crewmembers. Winds were anywhere from 14 to 22 meters per second (30-50 miles per hour) at the time of the crash and that there was light rain.
---
Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
---
6:55 am
Weather has been described as rough at the time a Boeing 737-800 with 61 passengers and crew crashed in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, killing all on board.
Rostov-on-Don was blanketed in rain showers and weather forecasters said winds there reached up to 50 kilometers (31 miles) per hour on Saturday morning.
FlightRadar24, a flight-tracking website, showed the FlyDubai flight made a series of loops near Rostov on Don while apparently waiting for permission to land.
---
6:40 am
Russia's Emergencies Ministry official says all 55 passengers and six crew members aboard a Boeing 737-800 that crashed on landing at the airport in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don have been killed.
Igor Odev, the head of the ministry's southern regional operations, provided the figure at a televised briefing on Saturday morning.
The plane belonged to the budget carrier FlyDubai and was coming from Dubai when it crashed.
 Details

Members of operative services are seen at the airport of Rostov-On-Don, the point of destination of a Flydubai Boeing 737-800 which crashed in Rostov-On-Don, Russia.
Members of operative services are seen at the airport of Rostov-On-Don, the point of destination of a Flydubai Boeing 737-800 which crashed in Rostov-On-Don, Russia.
A psychologist of the Russian Emergencies Ministry (L) speaks with a relative (C) of a victim of the crashed Flydubai Boeing 737-800 at the airport of Rostov-On-Don, Russia.
A psychologist of the Russian Emergencies Ministry (L) speaks with a relative (C) of a victim of the crashed Flydubai Boeing 737-800 at the airport of Rostov-On-Don, Russia.

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