Kyrgyzstan's prime minister, Omurbek Babanov, has described yesterday's Tupolev Tu-134 accident in Osh as a "wake-up call" and vowed a comprehensive review of air transport safety across the Central Asian state.
He made the comment after arriving in the city and inspecting the wreckage of the aircraft, which lost its entire starboard wing, rolled inverted and caught fire after a hard landing upon arrival from Bishkek.
There were no fatalities among the 73 passengers and six crew on board although several occupants sustained injuries.
"This case should be a wake-up call for us," said Babanov. "We should seriously re-examine the system, to ensure passengers' safety, and perform a thorough review of the status of all airports, aircraft and crews in Kyrgyzstan."
Osh airport is set to become a regional transport hub, he added, under a 2012 modernisation plan. The runway is to be extended by 400m (1,310ft) and safety levels reinforced.
Kyrgyzstan's transport ministry said a commission was being established to look into the accident.
It has also published the latest statistics on the country's air transport fleet. The registry, it said, contained 70 fixed-wing aircraft and 21 helicopters. Just 26 of the aircraft and 13 of the helicopters were airworthy, it added.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news