Lengthy flight delays in Russia doubled in early 2026. The number of canceled flights quadrupled.
Lengthy flight delays in Russia roughly doubled in the first nearly five months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, while cancellations quadrupled and cancellations following delays increased more than threefold, the Russian business daily Kommersant reported, citing calculations by AlfaStrakhovanie.
Delays of 60 minutes or more grew 1.9 times, to 48,600 flights. Delays of two hours or more grew 2.1 times, to 26,500, and delays of three hours or more grew 2.3 times, to 17,300. Delays of four hours or more increased nearly 2.4 times, to 12,400 flights.
Schedule disruptions in 2026 began in January with abnormal snowfall, then worsened amid mass flight cancellations tied to the war in the Middle East. Ukrainian drone strikes have been another driver, forcing airports to temporarily shut down.
Sources at several of the country’s largest airports confirmed the cancellation figures and said airlines have learned to plan more flexibly and rework their schedules — in particular, canceling chain-delayed flights earlier and notifying passengers in advance rather than letting them pile up in terminals.
The Transport Ministry declined to release Rosaviatsia statistics on delays and cancellations, stating the restrictions had become easier to manage than before.
Two unnamed airlines told Kommersant they were concerned about rising costs from aircraft sitting idle during delays and called for government support measures. The Transport Ministry stated that costs from restrictions imposed during drone attacks amounted to “less than 1% of carriers’ total expenses,” and that direct compensation was therefore not currently under consideration.
Airports in Russian cities are regularly shut down due to the threat of Ukrainian drone attacks. On May 8, 13 airports in southern Russia suspended operations after a drone struck an administrative building of the Aeronavigation of Southern Russia company. Full operations were restored only by the morning of May 10.
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