Due to drone attacks and introduced flight restrictions, capital airports have experienced serious disruptions: flight schedules are constantly being disrupted and passengers are spending entire days in terminals.
The most tense situation is at Vnukovo airportwhere, according to MSK1 data, people spend up to two days waiting for flights. Ppassengers sleep directly on the floor among suitcases and on distributed rugsand the departures board is painted red due to regular changes. “We have been sitting here since May 6. First they postpone it, then they cancel it. There is no hope for departure,” a passenger on the flight to Turkey told the MSK1.RU correspondent.
Delays in the capital reach several dozen hours. According to passengers, the departure time may be postponed every 15-30 minutes, making it impossible to understand the actual situation. Some end up returning their tickets and looking for alternative routes — for example, through St. Petersburg. Others are forced to stay at the airport for fear of missing their departure, even if they are offered hotel accommodation.
On May 7 alone, 111 flights failed to operate at Vnukovo airport, and 70 have not yet arrived. In Sheremetyevo, 174 departures were postponed and the arrival of 229 aircraft was delayed. On May 8, a total of over 180 flights were canceled at the capital's airports (85 in Sheremetyevo, 79 in Vnukovo, 19 in Domodedovo) and over 460 flights were delayed.
The problems were deepened by the closure of airports in southern Russia after drone attacks, including on infrastructure facilities. The Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) introduced a ban on flights to southern cities, but later lifted it. Nevertheless, the disruption has already affected the entire system: according to data from the Russian Tourist Union, up to 30 percent. trips to Sochi during the May holidays may be canceled.
Despite airports' declarations of a “calm situation”, passengers describe what is happening as total chaos: many of them practically live in terminals and do not know when they will be able to fly out. “We've been here for the second day. People don't count on anything anymore,” MSK1 quotes one of the passengers as saying.
