Turkish airline Pegasus cancels flights between Moscow and Turkey after Zelensky’s warning about unsafe Russian airspace

Turkish budget airline Pegasus canceled at least one flight from Bodrum to Moscow that had been scheduled to depart at 12:05 a.m. on September 2, the Russian Telegram news channel Ostorozhno Novosti reported.

Passengers on flight PC1456 said they were told all Turkish airlines had canceled flights because of the “airspace situation.” “We don’t know what to expect. Our Turkish side is prohibiting departures,” the airline stated.

Vnukovo Airport’s departure board also listed several other Pegasus flights out of Moscow as canceled: two to Istanbul, one to Bodrum, and one to Dalaman.

The board also showed at least two Turkish Airlines flights to Istanbul, one Nesma Airlines flight to Sharm El Sheikh, and one Shirak Avia flight to Yerevan canceled overnight and into the morning. Later in the day’s schedule, however, Turkish Airlines flights were listed without changes.

Vnukovo Airport introduced temporary restrictions overnight on September 2 for security reasons. Rosaviatsia announced around 6 a.m. Moscow time that the restrictions had been lifted.

The day before, Volodymyr Zelensky warned airlines that Russian airspace “is becoming unsafe” because “drones will appear in Russian skies in a way that will have to be reckoned with.” “We are warning our partners: the safe moments in Russian skies are over,” he said in his evening address.

Putin, who spoke with journalists in the early hours of August 2 following the SCO summit in Bishkek, called Zelensky’s remarks “a bid for state terrorism.” He also addressed Germany’s decision to close Russia’s consulate general and rumors of a new mobilization after the elections.