Russian airports shut down amid attacks by unidentified drones

Several Russian airlines have cancelled dozens of flights due to drone attacks on Russian territory on 7 May.

Source: Russian edition of The Moscow Times

Details: A transport disruption occurred at many airports in Central Russia as a result of a UAV attack. Passengers on cancelled or delayed flights were stranded for hours in overcrowded terminals. They complained of not being provided with food, water, or a place to sleep.

Russia's largest airline, Aeroflot, cancelled 52 flights from Moscow and an additional 54 flights to the Russian capital on Wednesday, according to the company’s online schedule.

More than 140 flights to and from Moscow were delayed, with more than 280 flights scheduled to depart. This includes flights operated by Aeroflot (Sheremetyevo International Airport) and its subsidiary, Rossiya (Vnukovo International Airport).

Pobeda Airlines informed passengers that, due to restrictions imposed by Russian aviation authorities, it was forced to cancel some flights on 6 and 7 May. Other flights may be delayed and aircraft may be redirected to other airfields.

S7 Airlines also announced flight cancellations due to air traffic restrictions in Central Russia amid the drone attacks. The company noted that some flights to Domodedovo Airport had been cancelled, with some planes redirected to other airfields.

Ural Airlines reported cancelling 18 flights, redirecting nine planes and delaying about 40 flights due to an "emergency situation."

Azur Air, Nordwind and Nordstar also warned of potential changes to flight schedules.

Restrictions on arrivals and departures were also in place at the airports of Kirov, Nizhny Novgorod, Tambov, Kazan and Nizhnekamsk as of the morning of 7 May.

Background:

• On the night of 7 May, drones attacked defence industry facilities in several oblasts of Russia, causing fires to break out.
• Earlier, the Russian authorities said that defence forces allegedly shot down seven drones flying towards Moscow on the night of 7 May. Sheremetyevo airport was also closed due to the threat of drones.

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