More than 400 flights were delayed across airports serving Moscow following a drone attack, according to information reported by the Telegram news channel Mash.
Sheremetyevo International Airport, the busiest of the capital's aviation hubs, recorded the largest number of disrupted operations. A total of 121 incoming flights were delayed on arrival, while another 126 outgoing flights were delayed on departure from the facility.
Vnukovo International Airport also suffered significant schedule disruptions during the event. Authorities at Vnukovo canceled 11 flights, while 60 departure flights and 69 arrival flights experienced delays.
Flight cancellations and delays across Moscow hubs
At Domodedovo International Airport, another major facility serving the region, 27 flights were delayed, and one flight was canceled entirely.
Zhukovsky International Airport, located to the southeast of Moscow, reported two canceled flights along with seven delayed departures and arrivals combined.
Prior to these widespread delays, dozens of incoming planes had been diverted away from the capital to land at designated backup airfields in neighboring regions. More than 30 flights were unable to land at their intended destination airports because of temporary airspace restrictions enforced during the security incident.
Background on Moscow aviation infrastructure
Moscow is the capital city of Russia and is served by four main commercial airports: Sheremetyevo International Airport, Domodedovo International Airport, Vnukovo International Airport, and Zhukovsky International Airport. Together, these facilities handle tens of millions of passengers annually, connecting the capital to domestic destinations across Russia and international routes.
Sheremetyevo is situated north of the city center, while Domodedovo lies to the south and Vnukovo to the southwest. Zhukovsky is the newest of the four airports, serving commercial flights alongside flight research activities.
In aviation management, temporary airspace restrictions are routinely introduced to ensure safety when unmanned aerial vehicles or security risks are detected near civilian flight corridors. When such restrictions take effect, air traffic control towers order immediate ground stops and reroute airborne aircraft to pre-designated alternate airfields until normal operations can resume.
The report on the flight delays was initially published by Mash, a prominent news channel on the Telegram messaging platform known for monitoring transport and emergency updates in Russia.
