Russian Boeing sends distress signal en route from Dubai to Moscow

According to Flightradar data, Utair flight UT716 took off from the UAE at 01:48 PM Kyiv time and almost immediately sent a distress signal. It is currently circling over the Persian Gulf near Dubai.

At present, there is no detailed information on the number of passengers on board or the reason for the distress signal.

For a Boeing 767-224, a typical two-class configuration accommodates around 181–224 passengers, while an all-economy layout can hold up to 269 passengers.

The exact number depends on the specific airline and its cabin layout.

AZAL plane crash

In 2024, an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 passenger plane flying from Baku to Grozny crashed near Aktau in Kazakhstan. The aircraft attempted an emergency landing after experiencing control difficulties, but was unable to land. There were 67 people on board, 38 of whom died.

It later emerged that as the plane was approaching Grozny, it was hit by Russian air defense. At that time, the city was under attack by unidentified drones.

In October of last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted during a meeting with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev that two Russian air defense missiles had exploded near the plane.

According to him, the air defense systems were allegedly targeting three Ukrainian drones flying in the area.

Initially, Russian authorities remained silent and refused to apologize to Azerbaijan for the incident.