On Friday, 23 October, a massive drone attack caused widespread disruption to air travel in Moscow. Rosaviatsiya temporarily suspended the arrival and departure of flights at all four airports in the Russian capital. According to the online flight information board, over 340 flights were delayed or cancelled. An air raid alert was declared at Sheremetyevo, and passengers were moved to safe areas. Russian media are also reporting the evacuation of people from the «Moscow City» business complex.
- On 23 October, all four Moscow airports were temporarily closed following a drone attack.
- More than 340 flights have been delayed or cancelled, with the highest number at Sheremetyevo.
- An air raid alert was issued at Sheremetyevo and passengers were moved to safe areas.
- Russian media are reporting on the evacuation from the «IQ-Quarter» complex in «Moscow City».
- The Mayor of Moscow has reported new drone attacks on the capital region.
Four airports in Moscow have been closed following a drone attack
Due to the threat posed by drones, on 23 October, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports temporarily suspended the arrival and departure of flights.
The restrictions were announced by the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya). The agency explained that the decision was taken to ensure flight safety.
According to figures from the «Moscow» agency, based on the online display board, as of 14:56 the number of delayed and cancelled flights had exceeded 340.
The most significant changes to the timetable were recorded at Sheremetyevo, where 170 flights were delayed or cancelled. At Vnukovo, the restrictions affected 118 flights, and at Domodedovo, 54. A further flight was cancelled at Zhukovsky.
Due to the closure of airspace, airlines are being forced to adjust their timetables and change flight routes.
An air raid alert has been issued at Sheremetyevo
An air raid alert was sounded at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport during the latest wave of attacks.
Passengers were instructed over the public address system to move to the nearest safe areas and shelters. The restrictions were introduced due to the threat posed by drones in the vicinity of the airport.
Vnukovo Airport has also warned of possible long waits for flights, particularly whilst on board the aircraft.
Domodedovo Airport has announced changes to its timetable due to the temporary suspension of flights.
Moscow City reports an evacuation
Amid the attack, Russian andNews sources have reported that people have been evacuated from the «IQ-Kvartal» complex» in the «Moscow City» business centre.
This complex houses the offices of Russian government agencies, including the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Rosstandart.
Reports of the evacuation are linked to the threat of a drone attack. However, there is currently no official confirmation of the scale of the evacuation or any information regarding damage to the building.
Sobyanin announced a new wave of drones
Mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin reported on the activities of the Russian air defence forces on the outskirts of the capital.
According to him, on the night of 23 October, 155 drones were flying towards the Moscow region. The Russian authorities claim that most of them were intercepted at distant frontiers, whilst five were intercepted on the outskirts of Moscow itself.
Reports of new drones continued to come in throughout the day. Sobyanin stated that at least 11 drones had been shot down on the outskirts of the Russian capital during the day’s wave of attacks.
There is no independent verification of any of the air defence results claimed by the Russian authorities.
Moscow’s airports are regularly shut down due to attacks
The current restrictions are the latest in a series of large-scale disruptions to air services Moscow throughout October.
In particular, on 17 October, all four airports in the Russian capital were also temporarily closed due to the threat posed by drones. At that time, more than 350 flights were delayed or cancelled, and some aircraft were diverted to alternative airports.
On the night of 22 October, Moscow’s air traffic control centre was once again operating under restrictions. According to Sobyanin, 630 drones were flying towards the capital region at that time.
On 23 October, a second attack once again led to the closure of airports and significant delays to passenger services.
