Moscow’s four airports were again drawn directly into the operational consequences of the war overnight on October 5-6, 2026. Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky temporarily stopped accepting and dispatching aircraft during a large drone attack on the Russian capital region. Restrictions were lifted during the morning, but by then more than 200 flights had been delayed or cancelled, with Sheremetyevo bearing the brunt of the disruption.
Rosaviatsia, Russia’s federal air transport agency, said the restrictions were imposed for flight safety. All four airports resumed operations at around 5:25 a.m. Moscow time, but Sheremetyevo was subsequently restricted twice more. Its final restriction was lifted shortly before 10 a.m. The repeated stop-start sequence made it harder for airlines to recover the schedule accumulated overnight.
More than 200 flights affected, with Sheremetyevo hit hardest
A tally based on airport flight boards showed more than 200 arrivals or departures delayed or cancelled across Moscow’s airport system. Sheremetyevo accounted for the largest share, with roughly 47 departures and nearly 106 arrivals affected. Vnukovo recorded several dozen schedule changes, while the impact at Domodedovo and Zhukovsky was smaller.
Sheremetyevo warned passengers to expect longer waits, including after boarding, and advised them to keep checking their flight through the airport and their airline. Reopening runways does not instantly restore a timetable. Aircraft and crews can be left out of position, slots have to be rebuilt and crew duty-time limits can trigger further knock-on changes long after restrictions end.
An unusually large attack around Moscow
The aviation disruption came during an exceptionally large drone attack on Moscow and the surrounding region. Reuters reported that Russian authorities said more than 650 drones were launched towards the region, with 185 destroyed or brought down in the Moscow region. Local authorities reported two deaths and several injuries on the ground. Some of the interception totals come from Russian official sources and cannot all be independently verified.
Russian military bloggers also reported that a tank at the Volodarskaya oil storage and distribution facility had been hit. The facility is part of a logistics network that supplies fuel to Moscow’s main airports. That reported strike has not been officially confirmed, however, so AeroSillage does not treat disruption to airport fuel supplies as an established fact.
Repeated closures are becoming an operational risk
A similar episode on September 20 had already brought simultaneous restrictions at Moscow’s four main airports. The recurrence matters for airlines still serving the Russian capital. Operators need credible diversion plans, adequate contingency fuel, aircraft repositioning options and flexible crew planning when an airport can be restricted with very little notice.
The wider operating environment also remains constrained by the war in Ukraine. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency continues to maintain conflict-zone guidance covering Russian airspace west of the 60th meridian East, including the Moscow flight information region. Airlines serving Russia therefore have to combine regulatory constraints, route availability and the possibility of renewed security restrictions.
What is established on October 6 is that all four Moscow airports were temporarily restricted, Sheremetyevo went through several separate interruptions and more than 200 flights were affected according to traffic-board counts. Operations have resumed, but residual disruption can last for hours. The next points to watch are any renewed alerts, the pace of Sheremetyevo’s schedule recovery and any official confirmation concerning damage to energy infrastructure in the region.
Main sources
- Rosaviatsia, operational restrictions and reopenings on October 6, 2026
- Sheremetyevo Airport, passenger operational information
- Reuters, drone attack on Moscow and the surrounding region, October 6, 2026
- Associated Press, October 6 drone offensive
- RBC, tally of delayed and cancelled flights
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