Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev has accused Russia of downing an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer E190 on Christmas day, according to a translated interview posted on his official X account. “We can clearly say today that the plane was shot down by Russia. This is a fact, and no one can deny this fact,” says Aliyev in the video posted on 29 December. The E-190, flying from Baku to Grozny, on 25 December, was forced to make an emergency landing near Aktau in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. In his statement, the president details that the aircraft was damaged over Russian territory, near the city of Grozny, and almost lost control, adding that “means of electronic warfare put our plane out of control.” He adds that the tail of the plane was also damaged “as a result of fire on the ground”. “The fact that the fuselage is riddled with holes indicate that the theory of the plane hitting a flock of birds, which was brought up by someone, is completely out of discussion.” “It is possible that when the plane was damaged, when it was hit, the pilot could have perceived it as a collision with birds, because it would probably never have occurred to anyone that our plane might come under fire while flying over a friendly country,” he goes on to say. At the same time, the president believes the downing of the aircraft was not a deliberate act, while accusing Russia of attempting to cover up the cause with what he called “absurd theories”. “We are not saying that this was done intentionally, but it happened,” he says. “Therefore, admitting guilt, apologizing in a timely manner to Azerbaijan, which is considered a friendly country, and informing the public about this – these were measures and steps that should have been taken.” Russian president Vladimir Putin on 28 December issued an apology for what he called a “tragic incident” though he stopped short of acknowledging that Russia had shot down the aircraft.

South Korea has launched a safety inspection of all Boeing 737-800s operated by domestic carriers, a day after the deadly crash of a Jeju Air 737-800 that killed 179 people. The probe will take place between 30 December and 3 January for six carriers operating 101 737-800s in the country and will look into "the maintenance history of major systems such as aircraft engines and landing gears", states the country's Ministry of land, infrastructure and transport in a 30 December statement. Jeju Air, T’Way and Jin Air are the top three operators with 39, 27 and 19 of the type, respectively, the ministry details. The other three carriers are Eastar Jet, Korean Air and Air Incheon. Jeju Air flight number 7C2216 enroute from Bangkok to Muan crashed during landing on 29 December at 09:03 local time. The 737-800, bearing registration HL8088 (MSN 37541), deviated from the end of the runway and crashed into the outer wall of the airport before erupting into flames, states the carrier. Only two crew members out of 175 passengers – 173 South Koreans and two Thais – and six crew members survived the crash. Videos online show the aircraft skidding on its belly with unopened wing flaps and without its landing gear before crashing into the wall. Officials believe the accident was caused by a landing gear failure likely due to a bird strike, Korean news agency Yonhap reports, adding that an on-site investigation has begun. The report details flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder have been retrieved but “it could take months for the exact cause to be determined”. At a 29 December briefing, Korea’s land ministry says Muan’s airport control tower had warned of a bird strike at 8:54, after which the pilot declared mayday at 8:59 a.m., per the news report. The US National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing are also assisting Korea’s Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board in the investigation. Fleet data shows the 2013-vintage aircraft is powered by CFM International CFM56-7B26 engines and was on operating lease from SMBC Aviation Capital. The aircraft was leased to Jeju Air in 2017 and was previously operated by Ryanair. Jeju Air has 38 737NGs and two 737 Max 8s in service and stored on its fleet excluding the HL8088 which has been written off, fleet data shows. A day after the crash, a Jeju Air flight 7C101 flying from Gimpo International airport to Jeju on a 737-800 was forced to return shortly after takeoff due a landing gear issue.

TAAG Angola Airlines has signed a sale and leaseback agreement for one Boeing 787-9 with AerCap. The deal represents an "essential step" towards the carrier's modernization, according to TAAG chief executive Nelson de Oliveira, while "leveraging our ability to connect Angola with key international destinations". "TAAG is committed to offering passengers a comfortable travel experience thus optimizing operational costs and providing greener environmental mobility solutions." The jet is scheduled to be delivered in February 2025. Fleet data shows that TAAG has four Dreamliners on order (two 787-9s and two -10s) and opted for GE Aerospace GEnx engines on the aircraft. One of the 787-9s (MSN 66877) is currently registered as N8572C. It was displayed by Boeing at Paris air show 2023 in a Riyadh Air livery and has since been repainted in TAAG colors. AerCap chief Aengus Kelly says that the company is particularly pleased to become the first lessor to introduce the 787 to TAAG. "As part of their fleet modernization programme, the 787 will enable TAAG expand their network across Africa, Europe and Asia with one of the most fuel-efficient widebody aircraft on the market and support them in meeting customer demand," he states. "We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with the TAAG team."