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Flights delayed at Moscow airports due to drone attacks

07 May 2025 11:27 (UTC +04:00)

Drone attacks have led to hours-long flight delays at Moscow airports following temporary closures, APA’s Moscow correspondent reports.

Dozens of planes are waiting for takeoff, and passengers say they have been left hungry and dehydrated on board.

Pobeda’s Makhachkala–Moscow flight was delayed for over 13 hours. Although it initially departed around 7 PM, the plane later returned. Passengers said the airline did not provide hotel accommodation.

Conditions were worse in Pulkovo. Passengers on Emirates Airlines' Dubai–Domodedovo flight, which landed in Saint Petersburg, were kept on board for six hours before being simply told to make their way to Moscow on their own. Many were too exhausted to demand any support from airline staff.

Passengers on Pegasus Airlines’ Antalya–Moscow flight faced similar treatment after being diverted to Pulkovo. According to them, they were “held like animals” for seven hours on the aircraft.

Passengers on Uzbekistan Airways’ Tashkent–Moscow and Aeroflot’s Chelyabinsk–Moscow flights also spent the night inside planes. After waiting for seven hours, they were finally allowed to disembark and enter the airport.

A similar incident occurred with passengers on Ural Airlines’ Samarkand–Moscow flight. The plane was denied landing at Zhukovsky Airport and diverted to Samara. Passengers waited 4.5 hours before being let into the terminal, but no hotel accommodations were provided.

According to passengers, they were told all hotels were full. Ural Airlines representatives also warned that if passengers chose not to continue their journey, no refund would be issued, as part of the route had already been completed.