Dubai
Sixty-two crew members and passengers who died on March 19 last year in the crash of flydubai FZ981 in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don were remembered in memorials on Sunday.
Family members of some of the 44 Russian passengers aboard the ill-fated flight attended a memorial held in Rostov-on-Don as well as in Dubai, the airline said on Sunday.
“At the memorials, family members, friends and colleagues gathered together in remembrance of those who lost their lives,” it said in a statement.
The memorial services honoured the memories of those who died when the aircraft crashed and exploded in the early hours of March 19 one year ago as it attempted to land for at least a second time at the city’s airport killing all passengers and crew on board.
There were 44 Russians among the 55 passengers on board along with eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one Uzbek. The victims were 33 women, 18 men and four children.
There were seven crew members on board including two pilots. The pilots were from Spain and Cyprus. The five cabin crew members were each from Spain, Russia, Columbia, Seychelles and Kyrgyzstan.
Flydubai’s CEO Gaith Al Gaith said the thoughts of many were with the families who lost loved ones.
“Today offers a poignant reminder of the tragic loss of flight FZ981. Our hearts go out to the families of the passengers and crew members who are mourning loved ones,” Al Gaith said in a statement on Sunday.
“At this time of reflection, we hope the memorials offer a degree of comfort to the families who continue to grieve. I would like to offer my sincere thanks to the officials and authorities in Rostov-On-Don and my colleagues at flydubai who have made these memorials possible.”
The crash of the flydubai Boeing 737-800 surprised many when it crashed in poor weather given that it was the first such fatal incident in the seven years of the low-budget carrier up until one year ago.
