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 \u00abMoscow City\u00bb business complex.<\/p>\n
Due to the threat posed by drones, on 23 October, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports temporarily suspended the arrival and departure of flights.<\/p>\n
The restrictions were announced by the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya). The agency explained that the decision was taken to ensure flight safety.<\/p>\n
According to figures from the \u00abMoscow\u00bb agency, based on the online display board, as of 14:56 the number of delayed and cancelled flights had exceeded 340.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Due to the closure of airspace, airlines are being forced to adjust their timetables and change flight routes.<\/p>\n
An air raid alert was sounded at Moscow\u2019s Sheremetyevo Airport during the latest wave of attacks.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Vnukovo Airport has also warned of possible long waits for flights, particularly whilst on board the aircraft.<\/p>\n
Domodedovo Airport has announced changes to its timetable due to the temporary suspension of flights.<\/p>\n
Amid the attack, Russian andNews sources have reported that people have been evacuated from the \u00abIQ-Kvartal\u00bb complex\u00bb<\/strong> in the \u00abMoscow City\u00bb business centre.<\/p>\n This complex houses the offices of Russian government agencies, including the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Rosstandart.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin<\/strong> reported on the activities of the Russian air defence forces on the outskirts of the capital.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s wave of attacks.<\/p>\n There is no independent verification of any of the air defence results claimed by the Russian authorities.<\/p>\nSobyanin announced a new wave of drones<\/h2>\n
Moscow\u2019s airports are regularly shut down due to attacks<\/h2>\n