Flydubai offers hardship payments to families of crash victims
The families of the victims of the flydubai crash on Saturday are being given ‘hardship payments’ to address their immediate financial needs.
The Boeing 737-800 coming from Dubai crashed in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, killing all 62 on board.
It is believed the plane had been circling for two hours at the airport following a previous attempt to land in high winds.
The cockpit voice and data recorders have been found but officials say they are badly damaged.
Flydubai said the passengers killed were 44 Russians, 8 Ukrainians, 2 Indians and 1 Uzbekistani.
CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith, said: "Everyone at flydubai is in deep shock and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those involved.
"We don’t yet know all the details of the accident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish the cause. We are making every effort to care for those affected and will provide assistance to the loved ones of those on board.
"I am personally leading our accident response with the support of the full management team. At this stage the focus of our efforts is on establishing the facts around the incident and providing all possible support to the authorities."
In a statement on Sunday the airline said its priority is to identify and contact the families of those lost in the tragic accident and provide immediate support to those affected.
"Flydubai will additionally organise a programme of hardship payments to the families amounting to USD 20,000 per passenger, in accordance with our Conditions of Carriage, with the aim of addressing immediate financial needs," it said.
UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai said on behalf of the international tourism community, UNWTO expresses its sympathies and condolences to the families and friends of the victims.
"It was with great sorrow that we heard the news of this tragedy and express our heartfelt solidarity with the families and friends of the passengers at this most difficult time", he said.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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