"They Were Obliged to Close the Airport": UIA Management Holds Briefing for Journalists
According to the UIA vice president, it was a completely ordinary flight. And Yevgeny Dykhne said, "It could have been any plane."
Today, January 11, executives of the airline UIA, President Yevgeny Dykhne and Vice President for Flight Operations Igor Sosnovsky, held a press conference, during which they provided more details about the plane crash in Tehran and answered journalists' questions.
The full video of the briefing was published by the YouTube channel "in time Ukraine":
Highlights of the UIA management briefing
"From the very beginning we were confident that the company could not have made any mistakes. We checked ourselves and became convinced that there must have been an external factor," said UIA President Yevgeny Dykhne.
"Why the airline operated flights to Tehran. Civil aviation flights take place with the permission of two countries: the one operating the flights and the one that manages the airspace. At the time of departure from Boryspil, the airline had no information about possible threats. At the time of departure from Tehran, the airline likewise had no information. And no decisions were communicated to us by the responsible authorities," said UIA President Yevgeny Dykhne.
"These people make hundreds of takeoffs and landings every year, including at Tehran airport, which UIA has been flying to for more than five years, five times a week. It was a completely ordinary flight. After takeoff, they made contact, contrary to what the Iranians said. They made contact, reported takeoff in a completely calm voice, received further clearance to continue the flight, and followed the controller's instructions strictly," said UIA Vice President Igor Sosnovsky.
"We are at the stage of dealing with the consequences, so I cannot comment on compensation and insurance payments. We are working with 7 jurisdictions because there were passengers of different nationalities on board. In the course of our work, these issues will be covered in order," said UIA President Yevgeny Dykhne.
"If you are playing at war, then play as much as you want, but there are normal people around who needed to be protected. They were obliged, if they were firing from somewhere to somewhere, they were obliged to close the airport. Obliged! And keep firing as much as you want," said UIA Vice President Igor Sosnovsky.
"The company will operate as usual. We will cope with the economic difficulties arising from this catastrophe, we have tested this and know it," said Dykhne. "The safest plane is the one that stands and does not fly, and the safest pilot is the one who sits in the kitchen. We will continue to do what we do," said Sosnovsky.
Answering a question about the flight delay, Dykhne said it was related to a large amount of baggage. In this regard, the captain, having determined the aircraft's takeoff weight, made a decision and ordered part of the baggage to be unloaded, which caused the delay.
The UIA president also said that they cannot yet disclose information about people who did not board the plane, because an investigation is underway. "The version of a possible terrorist act is still being examined by law enforcement agencies," said Dykhne.
"My personal opinion: I believe the state authorities of Ukraine acted according to the rules. Airlines from all over the world flew before us and airlines from all over the world flew after us. Our plane found itself in the wrong place at the wrong time. It could have been any plane," said Dykhne.
On January 8, a UIA plane took off from Tehran airport and soon crashed. There were 176 people on board, including passengers and crew. Among them were 11 Ukrainians: 2 passengers and 9 crew members. The remaining passengers were citizens of Iran (82), Canada (63), Sweden (10), Afghanistan (4), Germany (3) and the United Kingdom (3). No one survived.
Today, January 11, in the morning Iran admitted its guilt in the crash of the UIA airliner. It was mistaken for a "hostile target." Zelensky stated that our side will insist on full acknowledgment of guilt, as well as holding those responsible accountable and paying compensation.
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