Russia Faces Ongoing Air Travel Disruptions Amid Sky Closures and Airport Shutdowns

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Since the start of the peak travel season in May 2025, Russian travelers have been caught in a series of escalating aviation crises. With three major waves of airport shutdowns occurring in early May, June, and July, disruptions to air traffic have become an almost daily challenge.

Between 1 May and 21 June, Russian airports were closed more than 260 times—primarily due to restricted airspace caused by drone activity and air defense operations. On average, 30 to 40 airports experience temporary closures every month.

Moscow Airports Among the Most Affected

The capital’s air hub has been hit particularly hard. In under three months, Domodedovo was shut down over 20 times, accumulating more than 60 hours of downtime—the highest among major Russian airports. Vnukovo followed with over 45 hours, while Sheremetyevo saw more than 30 hours of closures. Even Zhukovsky was affected, closing nearly 20 times.

In St. Petersburg, Pulkovo Airport was closed nearly 15 times, with shutdowns totaling almost 40 hours, especially intense in July.

Regional Airports Also Hit

Kaluga (Grabtsevo) topped the regional list, closed more than 25 times, and was inactive for over 130 hours. Other heavily impacted airports include:

Saratov (Gagarin) – 15 closures
Kazan, Tambov, and Yaroslavl – over 10 closures each
Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Volgograd, Ulyanovsk, and Penza – 5 to 9 closures
Perm, Murmansk, Chita, Sochi, and others – fewer but still significant disruptions

Flight Cancellations and Diversions

Since early May, nearly 1,000 flights have been cancelled due to airspace closures both in Russia and abroad, including the brief shutdown of Iranian airspace in June. On top of cancellations, more than 430 aircraft were forced to divert to alternate airports. May accounted for nearly half of these diversions, but the trend is intensifying, with 134 diversions recorded over the most recent weekend alone.

Though the majority of planes eventually return to their original destinations within 24 hours, the repeated disruptions are taking a toll on airlines and passengers alike.

Rail Delays Add to Travel Chaos

It’s not just air travel under strain. Russian Railways (RZD) reports that 132 trains have experienced delays ranging from 33 minutes to 15 hours. Routes to the country’s south and from Crimea are especially affected, with some trains delayed up to 10 hours.