Probability of crew mistake minimal in Ukrainian Boeing crash: UIA

Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) representatives have denied mistakes by the crew in the Boeing 737 crash which took the lives of 167 passengers and nine crew members on Wednesday.

"We have information that the plane climbed 2,400 meters in altitude. The chances of the crew making a mistake are minimal; we simply don't think so. It's hard to say that something was wrong with the crew given their experience," Igor Sosnovsky, vice president for flight operations of UIA, told a press conference held at Boryspil International Airport.

UIA President Yevhenii Dykhne said that the Boeing 737-800 plane went through scheduled maintenance on Monday before departure. The aircraft was built in 2016 and delivered directly to the airline from the manufacturer.

"We decided to cancel flights to Iran for a certain period (of time). The airline carries out all the international air traffic procedures," said the head of the company.

According to preliminary data published by UIA, there were 167 passengers and nine crew members on board. The company is currently clarifying the exact number of passengers. The passenger plane, which was flying from Tehran to Kiev, crashed on Wednesday morning shortly after taking off.