BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 25. Our family had a tradition of spending evenings together at home over tea, where my father would recount stories from his flights, daughter of National Hero Igor Kshnyakin, Anastasia Kshnyakina, told journalists, Trend reports.
According to Kshnyakina, her father knew a day in advance that he would be flying to Grozny.
“He said that as soon as he finished the flight, he would come home, because he wanted to celebrate the New Year with us. It was his favorite holiday. Sadly, he never returned,” she said.
On December 25, 2024, an Embraer 190-100 IGW passenger aircraft, registered in the state register under number 4K-AZ65 and owned by Azerbaijan Airlines CJSC (AZAL), crashed in the Republic of Kazakhstan near Aktau Airport while performing regular flight J2-8243 from Baku (Republic of Azerbaijan) to Grozny (Russian Federation). Two crew members (the captain and co-pilot), the senior flight attendant, and 35 passengers were lost in the crash.
Notably, by the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, dated December 29, 2024, the title of "National Hero of Azerbaijan" has been posthumously awarded to crew members Igor Kshnyakin, Alexander Kalyaninov, and Hokuma Aliyeva, who demonstrated high professionalism, bravery, and dedication in fulfilling their duties and saving passengers’ lives during the incident involving the Embraer 190 passenger aircraft of Azerbaijan Airlines Closed Joint Stock Company en route from Baku to Grozny.
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