“In the immediate aftermath of the accident, we have been focusing on two key priorities; caring for all those who have been affected by the accident and supporting the investigating authorities as they work to identify the cause,” Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of flydubai said today at a press conference at the Government of Dubai Media Office.  

He clarified that flydubai is working to establish how it can most effectively provide care and support to the families of the 55 passengers and 7 crew members who lost their lives on board the flight that was heading to the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. 

Al Ghaith said that arrangements are being made to allow families who wish to visit the scene of the accident, to do so, highlighting the importance of giving all the families the time they need to grieve during this difficult time.  

CEO of flydubai has confirmed that the company now has its own specially trained Care Teams both on the ground in Rostov-on-Don and in Dubai.  He reiterated the company’s obligation not to reveal the names of the victims until their families are properly informed. 

“Throughout yesterday (Saturday), efforts were also made to contact as many family members as possible and those efforts are continuing.  As we mentioned yesterday, we will not be releasing the names of passengers until their families have been told first,” Al Ghaith stressed. 

Investigations on Ground 
Al Ghaith also stated that a specialist team from flydubai's engineering, safety and security departments are on the ground at the crash site. They will be working with the concerned authorities to help them identify the cause of the accident as soon as possible. They are there to provide expertise and any information the air accident investigators might need, according to a flydubai senior official.   

“I am personally leading the airline's response and along with our senior airline management receiving regular updates from the Emergency Response Team on the ground," Al Ghaith said.

He called upon the media and public to avoid speculation as investigations are still at a very early stage. He said that analyzing the content of the two black boxes, which he confirmed were found, might take months before extracting all the recorded information. 

Referring to flydubai’s commitment to share all accurate information related to the incident publicly once obtained, Al Ghaith said: “We are aware that in the course of the past 24 hours there has been a great deal of speculation as to the cause of this tragedy. We share the desire to get answers as quickly as possible but at this stage we must not be drawn into speculation.”

The CEO of flydubai has ruled out that it was the pilot’s first trip to Rostov-on-Don airport, saying the pilot was very well qualified with 5900 flight hours, while the  assistant pilot had an accumulated experience of 5700 flight hours. 

Responding to a question about the possibility of strong wind of approximately 30 km/second being the cause of the accident, Al Ghaith said the airport was open and operational as per the Russian authorities' confirmation, expressing high trust of the local authorities there and confirming that flight schedules to Russia have not been interrupted with no delays or cancellations of any flight. 

“flydubai is committed to its operational policies which follow the highest international standards”, Al Ghaith said, stressing high trust in the local authorities in Rostov-on-Don since flydubai started operations there. 

Regarding financial compensation announced by flydubai to families of the victims, Al Ghaith clarified that the payment of $20,000 could be followed by further payments, based on the final results of the investigations. He also clarified that the aircraft and the flight were fully insured. 

James Vial, Senior Vice President Operations, flydubai said that the company does not know at this stage the condition of the black boxes, and the extraction of information from them will be done according to international best practices.