"Aeroflot has paid out 45 million rubles so far: 15 million rubles (approximately $232,163) to the relatives of three victims, that is five million rubles [to each family - TASS], as they had planned earlier, two million rubles (approximately $30,956) to each of the four hospitalized people, one million rubles (approximately $15,478) to each of the 22 passengers who did not need hospitalization. Today, we are waiting for Aeroflot’s payments of another 17.5 million (approximately $270,900) as the documents have just been readied. The process is underway, the work is ongoing," said Ditrikh, who chairs a governmental commission looking into the crash.

MOSCOW, May 15. /TASS/. The Russian air carrier Aeroflot has already paid out 45 million rubles (approximately $696,600) compensation after its Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ-100) passenger jet burnt out on the tarmac of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on May 5, Russian Transport Minister Yevgeny Ditrikh told reporters on Wednesday.

"The insurance companies of Alfa Insurance and Sogaz have paid out 23,633 million rubles (approximately $365,839) so far," he added noting that the insurance companies were planning to continue compensation payments in the coming days.

Apart from that, regional authorities transfer compensation payments, he said.

An Aeroflot Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ-100) passenger jet took off from Moscow bound for the northern city of Murmansk on May 5, but had to return to Sheremetyevo airport for an emergency landing. The plane caught fire after landing. There were 73 passengers and five crewmembers on board. Forty-one people were killed, while ten more were admitted to hospitals.

A criminal case was opened under Part 3 of Article 263 of Russia’s Criminal Code (violation of the rules of air traffic safety and operation of aircraft entailing the negligent death of two or more people). The investigators are pursuing several lines of inquiry, including the pilots’ insufficient competence, equipment failure and bad weather.