BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 22
By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:
The first court hearing on Bek Air’s obligations to return money to passengers for canceled flights was held in the Turksib district court of Kazakhstan’s Almaty city, Trend reports with reference to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Trade and Integration.
The court hearing was held today, Apr. 22 via a video conference.
On Feb.4, 2020 Kazakhstan’s Consumer Protection Committee sued Bek Air airline company, the plane of which crashed on Dec. 27, 2019, for not refunding returned tickets.
On the morning of Dec.27, 2019, the Fokker-100 plane of Bek Air airline implementing flight on the route Almaty – Nur-Sultan lost its height during take-off and broke through a concrete fence, colliding with a two-story building.
Twelve people died, and 66 were injured as a result of the crash. A total of 98 people were on the plane, including nine children and five crew members.
Shortly after the accident, Bek Air company’s operations as well as the use of Fokker-100 type aircraft in Kazakhstan have been suspended.
The ministry said that as of Apr. 22, 2020 the committee is representing 560 Bek Air customers, who purchased 1,070 tickets worth over 37 million tenge ($85,946).
“Consumer appeals are still being received by the committee on a daily basis, so the committee will supplement the lawsuit with incoming statements until a court decision is made,” the report said.
The Bek Air official said during the court hearing that the refunding process is currently underway.
He said that the company has already returned nearly 300 million tenge ($696,864) to its clients, and one must contact the company and submit documents proving that the ticket was actually purchased to get the refund.
The next court hearing is scheduled for May 13, 2020.
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