Iran’s Road Minister: Black Box of Flight 752 to be Sent to Ukraine
Mohammad Eslami, Iran’s Minister of Road and Urban Development, stated on Wednesday, June 18, that the black box of flight 752 will initially be sent to Ukraine, and if they are unable to read it, the black box will likely be sent to France for analysis.
Ukrainian International Airlines flight 752 crashed on the morning of January 8, 2020, after being struck by an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps air defense missile near Tehran, killing all 176 passengers and crew on board. After several days of concealment and denial, Islamic Republic officials finally announced that “human error” was responsible for the tragedy.
Iran’s Road Minister stated that Ukraine previously lacked the necessary equipment to read the black box, but “apparently the Americans” have provided the required equipment “and promised to cooperate with the presence of a factory representative in Ukraine.”
Mohammad Eslami said: “The necessary coordination in this regard is such that the black box will be read in the presence of ICAO representatives in Ukraine, and if conditions are not met, then it will be read jointly in France, and some countries also have the view of sending it directly to France.”
He also responded to Canadian Prime Minister’s concerns about the non-delivery of the Ukrainian black box, emphasizing: “Regarding the delay in reading the Ukrainian aircraft’s black box, nothing has occurred except for the spread of the coronavirus, and the Iranian delegation and the accident committee are waiting for final coordination between the groups so that the black box reading can be carried out at the earliest opportunity.”
More than five months after flight 752 crashed, its black box still has not been read, which has become a point of contention between Iran and the international community.
Last week, the Islamic Republic’s representative at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said that Iran’s aviation authority had recently submitted this request to France’s Air Accident Investigation Bureau (BEA).
However, the French agency told Reuters that it had not formally received any request, and discussions with Iran and other involved countries remain ongoing.
Reuters also previously reported, citing sources, that the Islamic Republic told ICAO that if Canada and Ukraine agree, it will send the black boxes to the French agency.
Source: Radio Farda
