We are still in the process of gathering all the information we possibly can, but at this stage I will share the facts that we are able to confirm now. At 00.50GMT today flydubai flight FZ981 crashed at Rostov-on-Don and I am very sorry to say that we believe that there are no survivors. Onboard the aircraft, 55 passengers including 33 women, 18 men and 4 children and 7 crew members of whom 5 were male and 2 were female. The nationalities of the passengers included 44 Russians, 8 Ukrainians, 2 Indians and 1 Uzbekistani.

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.

As I speak members of our team are contacting relatives of the passengers and crew who were on board and we are offering any help we can to those affected.

In addition, we have activated our Emergency Response Team who are on their way now to the site.

We do not yet know all the details of the incident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish precisely what happened. We are making every effort to care for those affected and will provide assistance to the families and friends of those who were on board.

Last updated: 19 Mar 2016 11:36
Following our earlier statements more information is now available relating to flydubai flight FZ981.

flydubai very much regrets to confirm that the accident involving flight number FZ981 at Rostov-on-Don earlier today has resulted in 55 passenger fatalities including 33 women, 18 men and 4 children. The nationalities of the deceased passengers include 44 Russians, 8 Ukrainians, 2 Indians and 1 Uzbekistani.

We are currently contacting relatives of the passengers and crew who were on board and we are offering any help we can to those affected.

Chief Executive Officer Ghaith Al Ghaith, with the support of the full management team, is leading our response to the accident. At this stage the focus of our efforts is on establishing the facts around the incident and providing all possible support to the authorities.

At this moment our thoughts and prayers are with the families of our passengers and crew who were on board the aircraft. We are working with the local emergency services and other agencies who are at the scene.

flydubai is in the process of verifying the passenger list however preliminary numbers indicate 55 passengers and 7 crew on board on the Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The aircraft had departed Dubai International (DXB) at 18.20GMT on Friday 18 March and was due to arrive that evening at 22.40GMT.

Speaking about the incident, flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith, said, “We offer our deepest condolences to the families of the passengers and crew. 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.”