At Moscow’s main airport, following restrictions on the use of airspace, Russian media had counted more than 210 delayed or cancelled flights as of the evening of 24 October. The highest number of disruptions was recorded at Sheremetyevo. Airlines continued to adjust their timetables, whilst passengers complained of long waits and a lack of information.
Briefly about the main points
- At Sheremetyevo, the timetable for 65 departures and 106 arrivals was disrupted.
- Passengers in Terminal D had been waiting for their flights since 06:00.
- Vnukovo reported that around 40 flights had been rescheduled or cancelled.
- At least 25 flights were delayed at Domodedovo, and one was cancelled.
- The restrictions on 23 October applied to all four airports in the Moscow hub.
Passengers at Sheremetyevo had been waiting for their flight since the morning
According to Russian journalists, in Sheremetyevo 65 outbound flights and 106 inbound flights were delayed or cancelled. Passengers reported that they had been in Terminal D since 06:00: the departure times of some flights were changed repeatedly, whilst others were cancelled.
According to eyewitnesses, the greatest difficulties arose with domestic transport, although some international flights was carried out. People complained about a lack of information regarding departure times and difficulties in obtaining food whilst waiting for long periods.
The airport’s press office attributed the revised timetable to restrictions on the use of airspace in various regions of Russia.
Vnukovo and Domodedovo also experienced disruptions
According to Russian media reports, around 40 flights at Vnukovo have been rescheduled or cancelled. At Domodedovo, *The Moscow Times*, citing Flightradar, reported at least 25 delayed flights and one cancellation.
At the same time, the official website at Domodedovo experienced a technical fault: users were unable to access the homepage, the online flight information display and some of the online services. However, the ticket booking function remained available.
The changes have also affected international routes. A flight from Antalya in Turkey to Moscow was diverted to Yekaterinburg.
Restrictions were introduced across the entire Moscow air transport hub
Disruptions to air services began following reports of drone attacks on Moscow and the Moscow Region. On 23 October, Rosaviatsiya temporarily restricted the arrival and departure of flights at Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky. According to Interfax, the restrictions were imposed at least twice that day.
During the air threat at Sheremetyevo, passengers were advised to move to sheltered areas, whilst some of the aircraft bound for Moscow diverted to alternative airports. Following the partial lifting of restrictions, Vnukovo and Domodedovo continued to operate flights for a time, subject to approval by the relevant authorities.
Restrictions at Sheremetyevo were officially lifted on the evening of 23 October, but delays continued the following morning. More than 210 flights — this is a journalist’s tally of delays and cancellations, not the number of flights that were ultimately cancelled; there is no complete official breakdown of these cases.
