All Four Moscow Airports Hit by Flight Delays, Cancellations for Second Night

Russian airports entered a second consecutive night of disruption early Friday, Sept. 4, as another wave of drones approached Moscow following widespread cancellations, delays and rolling flight restrictions a day earlier. Saratov’s Gagarin Airport also imposed fresh restrictions early Friday, extending the disruption beyond Moscow.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The latest wave marks a second night of mounting pressure on Russia’s aviation system following President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Sept. 1 warning that Russian airspace would increasingly become unsafe as Ukraine expands long-range drone operations. On Sept. 2, Flightradar24 recorded 21 cancellations and 235 delays at Sheremetyevo, while Vnukovo registered 22 cancellations and 94 delays – a combined 43 cancellations and 329 delays. At least 27 foreign flights to and from Moscow were also canceled, affecting carriers including Pegasus Airlines, Turkish Airlines and flydubai. By Sept. 2 into Sept. 3, restrictions widened to all four Moscow airports – Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky – as well as airports in Sochi, Gelendzhik, Penza, Saratov, Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod. More than 120 flights were disrupted at Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo alone. Sobyanin said 548 drones flew toward the Moscow region between the morning of Sept. 2 and noon Sept. 3, with 143 intercepted on approaches to the capital. The disruption also forced Moscow-bound aircraft to divert. St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport received several flights originally headed for Moscow, while Nizhny Novgorod took in 16. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine Shortens Kyiv’s Curfew as Cabinet Adjusts to Changing Russian Air Attack Tactics Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers approved new measures on Thursday, Sept. 3, shortening curfew hours and introducing a new air alert system. Flightradar24 data cited by RFE/RL showed four Russian airports among the world’s five most disrupted airports on Thursday. Ukrainian aviation expert Valeriy Romanenko told RFE/RL that Kyiv may be seeking sustained pressure rather than temporary closures. “The strategy is to make these airports unusable,” he said, arguing that repeated drone attacks could force Russia to divert significant air-defense resources to protect major aviation hubs. Alexander Lanetsky, CEO of Lithuania-based aircraft brokerage Friendly Avia Support, told Current Time that prolonged disruption in Moscow could reverberate across Russia because of the country’s vast territory and dependence on domestic aviation. Foreign carriers also face growing pressure. Turkey, Uzbekistan, the UAE, China and Egypt account for about 72% of Russia’s international passenger traffic. Moscow has sought to reassure airlines, with Russia’s Transport Ministry saying Thursday that it provided foreign carriers with additional explanations about airport and airspace safety. Rosaviatsiya maintained that Russian aviation infrastructure continued operating normally, even as repeated restrictions, cancellations and diversions spread across the network. Ukraine has stressed that civilian aircraft are not targets and formally notified the International Civil Aviation Organization on Wednesday about growing risks in Russian airspace. The second night of disruption came just two days after Zelensky warned airlines and passengers about those risks. “Russian authorities are not properly informing people about this, Russian airspace will effectively be closing – the war started by Russia is closing its skies,” Zelensky said. “We in Ukraine do not want innocent lives to be lost. That is why we are warning our partners: the safe days in Russia’s skies are over.” Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.