DUBAI // Airline industry workers from across the globe on Satuday paid tribute to those killed in the FlyDubai crash.
On social media, the hashtag #unitedbywings was trending, with many posting black ribbons as their profile pictures.
One post on Facebook was from a Filipino man who had feared his sister may have been on board the airliner.
“Was so scared earlier thinking my sister was on the same flight,” he said. “Thank God she’s OK. She’s a flight attendant in FlyDubai and some of the crew that were on that flight were her close friends.
“She can’t stop crying. And she has a flight later on the same destination. I hope this will never happen again. This is so sad. I pray for the souls of all the passengers and crew. RIP.”
Another said: “I heard about Cypriot captain who recently got married and left a pregnant wife. The crew never dies, they fly and fly higher. My condolences to their families and wife of captain. You guys will be flying around us. May you all find peace.”
A former airline cabin crew member said: “Doesn’t matter which airline you fly with or have flown with, we are connected simply because we all enjoy the pressurised compartment we call our first home.”
The Fly Guy’s Cabin Crew Lounge group on Facebook posted a message titled “United by Wings with FlyDubai”, asking people to post their letters of love for the carrier. It was shared more than 6,000 times.
Meanwhile, Russian citizens across the UAE were saddened by the plane crash.
“We are all human beings and anything can happen in this life,” said Katerina M, 35, who has lived in Dubai for six years.
“I would like to send my sincere condolences to all the families of the victims. It is a very serious tragedy.”
Russian national Saleh Al Aroud who is chairman of the Russian Business Council, had dinner with one of the crash victims and his wife three days ago.
“What happened is a very sad accident,” he said. “We lost a family friend. He was 40 years old, with his wife and two children. He was in the aviation industry, he had chartered flights since 2000 and was a passenger.
“The council will today prepare a memorial for the victims.”
Ruslan Idrisov, 36, a personal trainer in Dubai, was shocked. “I did not expect the plane to crash, especially because FlyDubai is a good company and their aircraft are mostly new.”
Mr Idrisov has two Russian friends who work for FlyDubai and fly regularly to Russia.
“I texted one of them and he said he was fine, so I am happy to see he is safe. God bless the victims who died in the crash.”
Polina Mishchenko, an aviation insurance broker from Moscow who worked in Dubai for five years, hoped lessons would be learnt. “You can never expect a plane crash but particularly as FlyDubai is such an experienced company with a good safety record,” she said.
“There is a huge Russian community here in Dubai. I have a lot of multinational friends but I regularly keep in touch with those who are Russian speaking.
“It is a strong community here and everyone who I’ve spoken with is shocked. My friends and family back home have been talking about what could have happened.
“It is scary, as everyone died. It is extremely sad. Whenever you get on a plane you don’t know if you will see people again.”
Maxim Zaterukin, 35, who works in a bar in Abu Dhabi, said: “I woke and checked Facebook and I saw that my friend who used to work in FlyDubai was posting about the plane crash.
“Rostov-on-Don is very close to Stavropol, the city from which I hail. I would like to tell people to stay strong.”
One woman missed the flight because she was celebrating her 34th birthday. Elvira Isaeva was celebrating with a girlfriend and lost track of time, said the chief of the tour company she used to come to the UAE.
cmalek@thenational.ae
*Additional reporting by Anam Rizvi and Nick Webster
