Hundreds of flights across Russia were disrupted over the weekend after temporary airspace restrictions affected major Russian Airports and several regions across the country.
The restrictions impacted all four major Moscow airports — Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky — as well as major southern aviation hubs including Sochi, Mineralnye Vody and Krasnodar.
Additional operational limitations were also introduced at airports in Gelendzhik, Nalchik, Yaroslavl, Saratov, Pskov, Makhachkala and Kaluga.
The closure of parts of the airspace network also affected routes serving Kaliningrad Khrabrovo Airport.
More Than 300 Flights Affected
According to Russia’s Ministry of Transport, 51 aircraft departing from Moscow airports during the night of 16–17 May and into the morning were diverted to alternate airports.
Despite the disruption, authorities said airlines managed to minimise large-scale cancellations.
Airport departure boards showed that approximately 40 flights were cancelled across Moscow airports during 16 and 17 May, with most cancellations occurring at Vnukovo Airport.
However, delays remained widespread.
Across Moscow and southern Russia, at least 250 flights experienced delays exceeding two hours for both arrivals and departures.
Airlines Operate In Emergency Mode
Airlines introduced contingency measures to manage the disruption, including ticket rebooking services, distribution of water and snacks to stranded passengers and continuous updates via SMS and email notifications.
Russian carrier Nordwind said it was attempting to preserve schedules by delaying flights rather than cancelling them entirely whenever possible.
Aeroflot had earlier stated that it expected to restore normal operations from Sheremetyevo Airport by 14:00 Moscow time, provided no further restrictions were introduced in other regions.
As of 15:00 local time, some delays and cancellations were still continuing, although schedules were gradually stabilising.
Passengers Offered Refund Options
Low-cost airline Pobeda reminded passengers that forced ticket refunds remained available, including for non-refundable fares affected by operational disruptions.
The airline also encouraged travellers to use its automated chatbot service to check the latest flight status information.
The disruption highlights the continuing vulnerability of Russian domestic air traffic to temporary airspace closures and operational restrictions affecting key transport corridors.
