An Almaty-Shymkent flight made an emergency landing in Taraz due to a sudden weather deterioration, SCAT airline reported to Sputnik Kazakhstan. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
"As the plane approached landing, wind increased to 24 m/s, accompanied by heavy rain and lightning. Therefore, the crew decided to divert to an alternate aerodrome in Taraz," the company said.
An hour and a half later, the plane departed from Taraz to Shymkent. One passenger posted a video on social media saying that when the plane approached Shymkent, about half of the people on board refused to continue the flight due to fear of turbulence.
"The plane shook violently for about 15 minutes. We were already close to the ground, so many passengers got scared. Some cried and prayed, others tried to stay calm. Flight attendants urged passengers not to panic and assured that the situation was under control. The pilots showed great professionalism and managed to take control of the situation," he said.