Moscow Airports Face Collapse Amid Ukrainian Drone Attacks

Attacks by Ukrainian drones caused another collapse in the operation of Moscow airports - from 19 to 21 July, about a thousand flights were delayed or cancelled.

The Gaze reports on it, referring to The Moscow Times.

On 19 July, 15 flights were cancelled at Sheremetyevo, 30 at Vnukovo, and two at Zhukovsky. At that time, the Russian Ministry of Defence reported that air defence systems had shot down 18 Ukrainian drones approaching Moscow. The next day, 20 July, there were already 165 cancellations at Sheremetyevo, 81 at Vnukovo, nine at Domodedovo, and one at Zhukovsky. According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, 26 UAVs had already been shot down. At the same time, passengers on hundreds of flights faced delays over two days, according to Russian media estimates.

On the night of Monday, 21 July, Moscow airports were again operating with restrictions due to air safety concerns: from midnight and throughout the day, more than 170 flights were cancelled at Sheremetyevo, 24 at Vnukovo, and two at Domodedovo, with 472 flights delayed. The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that 23 UAVs had been shot down.

It is noted that the current collapse at Moscow airports is the fourth since the beginning of May, when the high tourist season began. Prior to this, mass cancellations and flight delays were observed on 6 May, 10 June and from 5 to 7 July. At the same time, the total closure time of each of Moscow's airports during this period exceeded 24 hours. Domodedovo was closed for the longest time – more than 60 hours, Vnukovo for more than 45 hours, and Sheremetyevo for more than 30 hours, according to calculations by the Association of Tour Operators of Russia. Due to aviation crises since the beginning of May, airlines have cancelled about a thousand flights, and 430 planes have been diverted to alternate airports. This has affected at least 200,000 passengers, or one in ten of those who used air transport, the association said.

Rosaviatsiya stated that it is not yet considering compensation for airlines for delays and cancellations. Against the backdrop of another airport collapse, the new Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin said that neither airports nor airlines can predict the introduction of the ‘Carpet’ plan. ‘We will, of course, work with our colleagues from the Ministry of Defence and try to do something,’ he added.

According to Euronews, flight cancellations and delays have also affected other Russian airports, including Pulkovo in St. Petersburg.

In the Rostov region, Ukrainian drones attacked the Kamenolomny railway station, causing a fire. This led to a disruption in passenger train traffic, with dozens of passenger trains being delayed.