Flights from Astana, Dubai and Antalya unable to land at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport

Fourteen flights bound for Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport were diverted to other airports due to temporary restrictions on aircraft arrivals and departures, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing TASS.

photo: QAZINFORM

According to Vnukovo’s information service, the aircraft were diverted to Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo airports in Moscow, as well as airports in Nizhny Novgorod and Minsk.

The affected flights were arriving from Minsk, Istanbul, St. Petersburg, Astana, Antalya, Hurghada, Kaliningrad, Dubai and Izmir.

In addition, the pilots of three aircraft flying from Turkiye decided to turn back and return to Istanbul.

Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) announced temporary restrictions on aircraft arrivals and departures at Vnukovo. The airport is operating flights in coordination with the relevant authorities amid adjustments to airspace restrictions. The measures were introduced to ensure flight safety.

Earlier, Astana International Airport CEO Beken Seidakhmetov said that restrictions affecting Russian airports had increased the number of passengers transiting through Istanbul. According to him, conflicts and changes to air corridors are increasing flight durations and airline operating costs.

How to act during an attack or other violent security incident on a plane and what mistakes should be avoided is in a Qazinform correspondent's material.