All four airports in the Moscow aviation hub temporarily restricted the reception and take-off of aircraft on the evening of October 29 and at night on October 30 due to the threat of a drone attack. The measures affected Domodedovo, Vnukovo, Zhukovsky and Sheremetyevo.
Rosaviatsia reported that the restrictions were introduced due to the need to ensure flight safety. In Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky they were imposed at 22:50 Moscow time. Sheremetyevo initially operated in coordination with the competent authorities, but at 23:28 a full restriction was introduced there as well.
“The restrictions are necessary to ensure flight safety“, Rosaviatsia said.The operation of Tunoshna airport near Yaroslavl has also been temporarily restricted. According to reports, some flights have been redirected to other airports and schedules have been adjusted. Passengers face delays and route changes due to airspace restrictions.
Reports of drones shot down
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that as of 10:00 p.m. Moscow time, Russian air defenses had shot down a total of 62 drones.
The Astra channel, citing data from Flightradar24, reported that there were almost no civilian aircraft visible over Moscow. Among the planes tracked was the aircraft with the registration number RA-73025, belonging to the special flight unit "Rossiya", which is based at Vnukovo and is used to transport high-ranking officials.
According to the available reports, there are no confirmed reports of injuries or material damage. It has not been announced when the restrictions for all affected airports will be finally lifted.
Sources: vedomosti.ru, ru.slovoidilo.ua