Pro-government says drone threat forces Moscow airport shutdowns and mass flight disruptions

Pro-government says drone threat forces Moscow airport shutdowns and mass flight disruptions
All four Moscow airports were closed to arriving and departing flights on Friday, Oct. 23, after reported drone attacks triggered air-raid warnings over the capital. Rosaviatsia suspended aircraft movements at Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky, citing flight-safety requirements.

At Sheremetyevo, passengers were directed away from windows and glass surfaces and told to move to designated safe areas. Access to the terminals’ sterile zones was restricted, while airport staff issued instructions over public-address systems. The airport later said an evacuation was underway because the drone threat remained active.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defenses had shot down drones approaching the city, and emergency teams were sent to locations where debris reportedly fell. The authorities’ account framed the restrictions as a defensive response; the supplied reports did not include an independent assessment of the alleged attacks.

The shutdown quickly disrupted air travel. More than 340 flights were delayed or canceled, according to airport information boards cited by Russian media, while aircraft already en route to Moscow were diverted. St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport accepted 25 flights originally bound for Moscow, and Nizhny Novgorod received another 13.

Although restrictions were briefly lifted and reimposed several times during the day, the latest information in the reports said all four airports were closed again and an air-raid warning was active at Sheremetyevo. Aeroflot and Rossiya revised their schedules, warning that delays could continue after reopening because of crew working-hour limits.