Russian airport reopens two days after tragic FlyDubai crash

Rostov-on-Don airport has started with outbound flights after the runway was cleared of debris but inbound flights are either cancelled or delayed.

Rostov-on-Don airport reopened on Monday morning. Maxim Shemetov / Reuters

Rostov-on-Don airport reopened on Monday morning, just over two days after the FlyDubai jet crash-landed, killing all 62 people on board.

The Boeing 737, which was en route from Dubai to the southern Russian city, exploded in a fireball after missing the runway on a second landing attempt in heavy wind and rain.

“The airport is now fully functional,” an airport representative said.

Regional authorities said on Sunday that workers had finished clearing the runway of debris, which investigators said had been scattered up to 1.5 kilometres from the crash site.

Outbound flights resumed at about 10.30am UAE time on Monday but incoming flights to the city of one million were still either cancelled or delayed.

Investigators have launched an investigation into whether poor weather, a pilot error or a technical fault were behind the crash, which killed all 55 passengers and seven crew members.

The plane’s two black boxes were recovered from the crash site but were badly damaged, Russia’s Intergovernmental Aviation Committee said, warning that their analysis would take time.

Experts from FlyDubai, the emirate’s budget airline, and UAE authorities are assisting with the investigation, Russian investigators said.

* With reporting from AFP