Moscow: Russia Thursday suspended the licence of a Moscow-based airline following a plane crash that killed 47 people last month.
Aviation authorities suspended the licence of Rusair, after a RusAir Tupolev Tu-134 plane - with 43 passengers and nine crew on board - crashed and burst into flames on a motorway near Petrozavodsk in Karelia region June 21.
"Due to violations revealed during an investigation, the operator's licence has been suspended," federal aviation authority Rosaviatsia spokesman Sergei Izvolsky said.
Investigators believe pilot error was to blame for the crash.
RusAir is a privately-owned airline that also runs charter flights to Europe.
The Tupolev Tu-134, along with its larger sibling the Tupolev Tu-154, has been the backbone of the Russian and Soviet air industry since the 1960s.
IANS
First Published: Thursday, July 14, 2011, 22:52