The key facts

  • On the night of October 16, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky suspended the arrival and departure of flights; restrictions were also imposed at Pulkovo and a number of regional airports.
  • In the first two weeks of October, restrictions at the four Moscow airports amounted to 101 hours, compared to 46 hours for the entire September (Agentstvo).
  • On the night of October 14, the four Moscow airports were closed simultaneously for about seven hours — a record for such disruptions.

Nighttime restrictions at Moscow airports

On the night of October 16, the Moscow airports Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky temporarily suspended the arrival and departure of flights due to the threat of Ukrainian drone attacks. According to DW, in some airports the restrictions lasted several hours, resulting in hundreds of flights being delayed or cancelled.

Restrictions in the regions

Temporary restrictions were also imposed at Pulkovo in St. Petersburg, where some passengers waited a long time for their flights. Rosaviatsia reported that restrictions for security reasons were also in effect at airports in other regions: Penza, Saratov, Ufa, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Perm, Kaliningrad, Samara and Yekaterinburg.

Growing statistics of disruptions

According to the calculations of the publication Agentstvo, in the first two weeks of October the total duration of restrictions on the operation of the four Moscow airports amounted to 101 hours, whereas for the entire September it was 46 hours. On the night of October 14, the four Moscow airports were closed simultaneously for about seven hours, which was recorded as a record figure for such disruptions.

Impact on air traffic

Frequent airport closures raise the question of maintaining the stability of air traffic in Russia. The duration and scale of the restrictions affect passengers, airlines and the operation of airports.