Russia's aviation chief said Friday that a Ukrainian drone attack was underway in the Russian region that an airliner was destined for before it diverted and crashed earlier this week.
Airline operators have attributed their preference for expatriates and established pilots over unemployed ones to the latter’s lack of experience and the required flying hours.
Aviation experts said Thursday that Russian air defence fire was likely responsible for the Azerbaijani plane crash the day before that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured.