Ukrainian drone attacks affect Russian aviation as flight restrictions rise

Ukrainian drone attacks in Russia continue to increase flight delays and cancellations amid flight restrictions at airports, affecting the aviation sector.

Some 3,594 flight restrictions were imposed at airports across Russia from January to October, according to data from Doletit, which tracks figures from the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency.

The safety measures affected facilities near the Ukrainian border as well as major international hubs in Moscow, including Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports.

The air agency frequently suspended aircraft arrivals and departures overnight, with around half of all recent restrictions starting between 11 pm and 6 am Moscow time.

The scale of the disruption grew to 545 separate restrictions last month, marking a nearly ninefold increase from 60 restrictions during the same month last year.

The restrictions also created logistics bottlenecks, with the Transport Ministry reporting a 20.3% increase in flights delayed by more than two hours from January to August. This was most obvious in October, when over 51,900 flights were delayed by at least 15 minutes, while more than 7,000 were canceled across 118 airports nationwide.

Airlines have frequently been prompted to reroute planes to alternative hubs, leading to growing unexpected expenses for emergency lodging and ground transportation for passengers.

Russia’s flag carrier Aeroflot had to accommodate over 2,600 passengers in hotels and provide 11,000 meal vouchers following restrictions at Sheremetyevo Airport on Oct. 23.

Subsequent restrictions on Oct. 29 and 30 also saw the airline accommodate 1,600 passengers in hotels, issue 20,000 meal vouchers and transport more than 1,300 people to their destinations.

Resuming normal flight schedules after these sudden closures further complicated compliance with aviation safety regulations governing crew work and rest periods.

Russian carriers had already been facing a difficult situation, having been restricted from operating international routes since the US and the EU closed their airspace to Russian aircraft in early 2022.

Western sanctions also ban the sale of aircraft, spare parts and maintenance services to Russia, causing Russian airlines to struggle even further.