Drone-related flight restrictions halted arrivals and departures at all four airports serving Moscow on 23 October, the second time in two days the capital’s airport system faced a full shutdown. Rosaviatsiya imposed the measures at Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky at 14:05 local time, citing flight safety. Operations resumed later under restrictions at some airports, but schedules remained liable to change.
Vnukovo and Domodedovo were cleared to accept and dispatch flights under an approval regime later that afternoon. Sheremetyevo also resumed operations, after directing passengers to shelters during an air alert, restricting access to airside areas and disembarking some passengers from aircraft. Airlines adjusted their schedules as the restrictions affected traffic across the Moscow region.
At one point, 69 flights were listed as cancelled and 164 delayed across the Moscow airports; 25 flights were diverted to St Petersburg’s Pulkovo. An Emirates A380 operating flight EK133 from Dubai to Domodedovo circled over the Penza region while awaiting clearance. The figures reflect disruption during the incident; a full return to normal schedules was not confirmed.
The previous full shutdown took place overnight on 22 October, with restrictions lifted that morning. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported drone interceptions, but those claims were not independently verified.