Ukrainian drone attacks spark chaos at Russian airports, causing over 2,000 flights in two days to be canceled or delayed
Source: Meduza
Ukrainian drone attacks sparked a transportation crisis involving multiple Russian airports over the weekend, disrupting more than 2,000 flights between Saturday night and Monday morning. According to Russia’s federal airline regulator Rosaviatsia, between July 5 and July 7 at 6:00 a.m. Moscow time, airlines canceled 485 flights, diverted 88 to alternate airports, and delayed about 1,900 departures and arrivals. The worst disruptions were reported at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport, and Nizhny Novgorod’s Chkalov (Strigino) Airport.
“Russia’s air transport system has demonstrated resilience in the face of external interference,” Rosaviatsiya said in a statement. The agency reported that over the two-day period, airlines processed 43,000 involuntary ticket refunds and arranged hotel accommodations for 94,000 people. Carriers also provided 155,000 meal vouchers and 199,000 drink vouchers.
The wave of flight cancellations and delays began on Saturday morning, as airports imposed restrictions due to the threat of Ukrainian drone strikes. Rosaviyatsia also cited strong winds near Sheremetyevo as an additional factor. According to Kommersant, Russia’s Transport Ministry reported that on July 5 alone, Sheremetyevo, Pulkovo, and Strigino airports canceled more than 250 flights and delayed over 270 others. By 6:00 p.m. on July 6, nearly 400 flights across the three airports had been delayed or canceled, with Sheremetyevo accounting for more than half of them.
As of Monday morning, St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport was experiencing the worst of the disruptions. According to Rosaviatsiya data, 104 flights were delayed by over two hours and eight flights were canceled. However, Yandex Timetable data recorded at 11:15 a.m. Moscow time indicated the situation was even worse, with 152 departures delayed and 32 canceled.
Over the past three days, operations at Pulkovo have been restricted five separate times, with the most recent closure lasting more than eight hours, according to local outlet Fontanka, which cited the airport’s press service. On Saturday evening, access to the terminals was restricted to ticketed passengers only, leading to long lines for check-in and boarding. The airport advised travelers not to come if their flights had been rescheduled.
Eyewitnesses also reported a separate issue compounding the chaos: mobile Internet service in St. Petersburg began experiencing outages on Sunday evening, affecting the airport area as well. The outages disrupted contactless payment terminals throughout the city, including at the airport, according to the outlet Bumaga. On the morning of July 7, Pulkovo’s press service warned of possible baggage delays due to the heavy strain on airport operations, saying that luggage might arrive late at destination airports.
At Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, Rosaviatsia reported “minor passenger congestion” on the morning of July 7, but said the overall situation remained calm. According to authorities, about 40 flight departures were delayed. Eyewitness videos, however, showed large numbers of passengers still waiting for their flights. The Telegram channel Ostorozhno, Moskva reported that even the business lounge at Sheremetyevo was full.
In Nizhny Novgorod, flight restrictions at Strigino Airport lasted for more than a day — from 10:40 p.m. Moscow time on July 4 until 9:37 a.m. on July 6, according to Rosaviatsia. By the morning of July 7, three flights were delayed and one was canceled, the agency said. “The situation in the terminal is calm, with no significant passenger buildup. Additional staff have been deployed at the airport,” it added. However, according to Yandex Timetable data at 11:15 a.m., Strigino Airport had eight delayed flights and four cancellations.
Experts cited by Kommersant estimate that the widespread flight disruptions could cost Russian airlines tens of billions of rubles. According to two major airlines, the transportation collapse at the three main airports on July 5 alone may have cost carriers at least 3.9 to 5.9 billion rubles ($49.6 million–$75 million). Dmitry Datsykov of Expo UAV estimated that airlines nationwide could be facing as much as 20 billion rubles ($254 million) in additional costs per day.
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