Flight cancellations and delays in Russia double amid Ukrainian drone attacks
Read NV on Google
Vnukovo is one of Moscow's airports (Photo: Vnukovo International Airport / Telegram)
Flight cancellations in Russia doubled in the first nine months of 2026, while lengthy delays rose by an average of 2.2 times, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported, citing data from insurer AlfaStrakhovanie on Oct. 9.
The company tracks flights operated by 30 major Russian airlines and about 60 foreign carriers, which together account for approximately 97% of passenger traffic in Russia.
In 2026, about 7.6 million passengers waited more than three hours for departure, 2.5 times as many as in 2025.
From January through September, the number of flights delayed by more than an hour rose 1.7 times year over year to 128,000. Passengers had to wait at least two hours twice as often, with 77,000 such delays recorded.
The number of delays lasting three hours or more increased 2.2 times to 51,000, while delays of at least four hours rose 2.4 times to 36,000. The share of flights departing no more than 15 minutes late fell from 57% to 52%.
The company attributed the deterioration to airport restrictions imposed amid the threat of Ukrainian drone attacks. Since late April, Russia’s Carpet emergency protocol has been activated almost daily in country’s southern and central oblasts.
According to Russia’s Transport Ministry, 118,100 flights were delayed by more than two hours from January through August, up 20.3% from the same period in 2025. The discrepancy with the company’s figures stems from differences in methodology: The ministry’s statistics also include general aviation, cargo, charter and government flights.
Sources at four regional airports told the outlet they wanted to receive more timely information about the lifting of Carpet restrictions. Officials at Gelendzhik Airport said prompt notification from the Defense Ministry was particularly important for passenger services and the departure of aircraft that remain on the apron during restrictions.
Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsiya, also cited aircraft malfunctions among the causes of flight delays and cancellations.
The Transport Ministry reported that the share of delays caused by technical problems fell from 12.7% to 10.1% year over year. Aviation industry sources said the decline was linked to reduced passenger-carrying capacity.
According to the outlet, airlines had failed to return 20% of their aircraft to service ahead of the peak travel season. Among the 10 largest carriers, excluding Aeroflot, one-third of the fleet remained grounded.
On Oct. 9, media outlets reported that Moscow’s Vnukovo, Zhukovsky and Domodedovo airports had suspended operations for about six to seven hours because of drone attacks. Including restrictions imposed during the day Thursday, two of the Moscow aviation hub’s three main airports had suspended arrivals and departures for approximately 11 hours over the previous 24 hours.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
