FlyDubai crash: Airline to pay $20,000 to each victim's family

Dubai: Dubai-based low-cost carrier FlyDubai said on Sunday it will pay $20,000 per victim following the crash of its plane from Dubai to Russia. [caption id=“attachment_2685670” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Russian Emergency Ministry employees investigate the wreckage of the crashed plane at the Rostov-on-Don airport. AP[/caption] The airline said it was their priority to identify and contact the families of those killed in the accident and provide immediate support to those affected by Saturday’s tragedy, Xinhua reported. “FlyDubai will additionally organise a programme of hardship payments to the families amounting to $20,000 per passenger, in accordance with our conditions of carriage, with the aim of addressing the immediate financial needs,” it said. The FlyDubai flight 981, which came from Dubai, was making its second attempt to land at the Rostov-on-Don airport at 3.50 pm (Moscow time) on Saturday when it missed the runway and crashed. “We ensure the highest standards of investigations and express our deep condolences to the family members of the victims and the crew,” said CEO Ghaith Al-Ghaith on Saturday. The plane carried 55 passengers and seven crew members on board, including four children. Among the passengers, 44 of them were Russians, eight from Ukraine, two from India and one from Uzbekistan. The plane was a Boeing 737-800 made in 2011. The pilot had 5,965 flight hours experience and the co-pilot 5,769 hours, Al-Ghaith said. The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation. IANS