It comes as the head of Russia's civil aviation agency says the situation in Grozny, the plane's destination, was "very complicated" at the time.

Azerbaijan Airlines said Friday the passenger jet that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day experienced “physical and technical external interference,” according to an early investigation.

Azerbaijan’s flag carrier has announced the suspension of flights to several Russian airports, citing potential flight safety risks following a crash of one of its planes that many experts have blamed on Russian air defense fire.