Dozens of flights delayed again at Moscow airports due to drones, Russian transport minister says situation is ‘slightly better than in May’
The situation at Moscow’s airports, where dozens of flights were once again delayed due to drone attacks, is now “slightly better than it was in May,” according to Russia’s new transport minister, Andrey Nikitin, who was appointed following the death of his predecessor, Roman Starovoit.
Nikitin said it is impossible to predict when airspace will be temporarily closed, but noted that “airports are adapting.” “They’re improving food services and rest areas,” he added.
“Our colleagues are analyzing their operations, and I believe there is some progress,” he said, as quoted by Interfax. “Of course, we’ll be working with colleagues from the Defense Ministry, trying to find solutions. But safety comes first. The inconvenience is understandable, the discomfort is understandable — but no one will risk passenger safety.”
On the evening prior, flight restrictions were introduced at Moscow’s four passenger airports — Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo, and Zhukovsky — as well as in Nizhny Novgorod. Dozens of flights were delayed at Sheremetyevo.
The restrictions in Moscow were lifted only by early morning, but delays spread to other regions. According to the Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office, nine Moscow-bound flights were delayed, leaving more than 2,700 passengers waiting to depart.
In early May, Russian airports experienced a major collapse due to repeated Ukrainian drone attacks. Widespread airspace closures caused delays and forced flights to divert to alternate airfields, leaving tens of thousands of passengers — many of them traveling for the May holidays — unable to depart on time. The disruptions also affected foreign dignitaries headed to Moscow for Victory Day, including Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, whose plane was forced to land in Baku before continuing on to the Russian capital.
