--- title: "Aviation Collapse in Moscow: Over 400 Flights Cancelled and Delayed After Nighttime Drone Attack" description: "Moscow's airports cancelled and delayed more than 400 flights on September 20 against the backdrop of a nighttime attack by Ukrainian drones. The airports describe the disruptions as unavoidable and are gradually restoring operations." date: 2026-09-20T12:40:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/moscow-airports-drone-attack-flight-delays tags: [moscow, airports, drone-attack, aviation, ukraine-russia, flights] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Aviation Collapse in Moscow: Over 400 Flights Cancelled and Delayed After Nighttime Drone Attack ![Terminal B of Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow after a nighttime drone attack that led to the cancellation and delay of over 400 flights](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/20/moscow-airports-drone-attack-flight-delays/moscow-airports-drone-attack-flight-delays-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - More than 400 flights were cancelled and delayed at Moscow's airports on September 20. - Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo were hit hardest, with some flights diverted to other cities. - The disruptions occurred against the backdrop of a nighttime drone attack that Zelenskyy and RBC-Ukraine called the largest-scale on Moscow. - The airports' official press services describe the changes as "unavoidable" and do not disclose a direct link to the attack. On Sunday, September 20, 2026, the capital's airports faced one of the largest disruptions to air traffic in the entire course of the conflict. According to online flight boards and the Yandex Schedules service, a total of more than 400 flights were cancelled or delayed across Moscow's airports. The situation unfolded against the backdrop of a nighttime drone attack that, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and reports by RBC-Ukraine, the Ukrainian Defense Forces called the largest-scale strike on Moscow in the entire war. ### Scale of Disruptions at the Capital's Airports The consequences were most acutely felt at Sheremetyevo Airport. As of noon on Sunday, more than three dozen flights had been cancelled there, while over 120 were delayed on arrival and a comparable number — on departure. Some aircraft were diverted to backup airports: Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Cheboksary, and Saint Petersburg. At Vnukovo, 11 flights were cancelled, including Russian and international destinations, 69 aircraft were delayed on arrival, and 60 — on departure. At Zhukovsky, two flights were cancelled since the start of the day, four were delayed on arrival, and three on departure; the airport resumed operations at 9:00. By 12:50, Vnukovo reported a "gradual restoration of normal operating mode." ### Which Destinations Were Affected According to Yandex Schedules data as of the morning of September 20, cancellations affected flights to Sochi, Gelendzhik, Mineralnye Vody, Saint Petersburg, Perm, Minsk, and other cities. Among the delayed destinations were Antalya, Sharm el-Sheikh, Cairo, Istanbul, Sochi, Kaliningrad, Yerevan, and Almaty. At Vnukovo, delays and cancellations affected, in particular, flights to Antalya, Istanbul, Samarkand, Batumi, and Yerevan, as well as to Minsk and Saint Petersburg. Thus, the disruptions covered both domestic and international routes, including popular resort and business destinations. ### Official Positions of the Airports Sheremetyevo's press service reported that flights are "operating on an adjusted schedule," and that the changes being made are "unavoidable," including due to the closure of airports in other regions. A similar wording was provided by Domodedovo. The operators emphasize that operations are being conducted in an adjustment mode rather than a full shutdown, and that they are gradually returning to the regular schedule. At the same time, the airports themselves do not disclose a detailed causal link to the nighttime incident in their official comments, limiting themselves to references to "restrictions" and "the closure of airports in other regions." ### Context: The Nighttime Attack and Statements by the Parties RBC-Ukraine previously reported that during the night of September 20, the Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out, by their assessment, the largest-scale attack on Moscow in the entire war. According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, drones, as well as the Flamingo and Pelican systems, were used during the operation. It was this nighttime strike, according to media reports, that triggered the mass closure of airspace and the adjustment of schedules at the capital's airports, leading to a chain reaction of delays and diversions across the network. ### Contradictory Data There is a notable discrepancy in emphasis between the statements of the parties and the wording of the airports. The Ukrainian side (Zelenskyy, RBC-Ukraine) directly names the cause of the disruptions as the "largest-scale" drone attack on Moscow, whereas the official press services of Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo do not confirm the attack as a direct cause in their public comments, instead citing "unavoidable" changes and "the closure of airports in other regions." The assessment of the attack's scale as the "largest in the entire war" is a statement by the Ukrainian side and has not been independently verified. The fact of mass delays and cancellations (more than 400 flights), however, is confirmed by online flight boards and several independent media outlets, although the exact figures for each airport may vary slightly depending on the moment the data was recorded. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Aviation collapse in Moscow after Ukraine's attack: hundreds of flights delayed and cancelled](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/moskvi-aviatsiyniy-kolaps-pislya-ataki-ukrayini-1789907895.html) - Подтверждает масштаб сбоев и связь с атакой; совпадает с цифрами по аэропортам. - [Troubled skies: transport collapse paralyzes air traffic from Moscow to Sochi](https://svpressa.ru/accidents/article/532641/) - Подтверждает географический охват сбоев (Москва—Сочи) и характер коллапса. - [More than 400 flights cancelled and delayed at Moscow's airports after drone attack, - media](https://censor.net/ru/news/4024372/v-moskve-iz-za-ataki-dronov-zaderjali-i-otmenili-bolee-400-aviareyisov) - Подтверждает совокупную цифру 400+ рейсов и причину — атака БпЛА. - [Sheremetyevo Airport warns of possible flight delays due to restrictions](https://www.gazeta.ru/social/news/2026/07/23/28959781.shtml) - Материал датирован 23.07.2026 и относится к более раннему событию; не подтверждает события 20.09.2026, использован только как контекст практики предупреждений. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: How many flights were cancelled and delayed in Moscow on September 20? **A:** In total, more than 400 flights were cancelled or delayed at Moscow's airports. At Sheremetyevo — more than 30 cancelled and over 120 delayed on arrival and the same number on departure; at Vnukovo — 11 cancelled, 69 delayed on arrival and 60 on departure; at Zhukovsky — 2 cancelled and 7 delayed. ### Q: What is the cause of the disruptions at the airports? **A:** According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy's statement and RBC-Ukraine's reports, the cause was a nighttime drone attack described as the largest-scale on Moscow. The airports' official press services describe the changes as "unavoidable" and cite the closure of airports in other regions, without disclosing a direct link to the attack. ### Q: To which cities were flights diverted? **A:** Some flights were diverted to Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Cheboksary, and Saint Petersburg. Among the affected destinations were Sochi, Gelendzhik, Mineralnye Vody, Perm, Minsk, Antalya, Istanbul, Yerevan, Almaty, and others. ### Q: Have the airports restored normal operating mode? **A:** By 12:50, Vnukovo reported a gradual restoration of normal operating mode, Zhukovsky resumed operations at 9:00, and at Sheremetyevo flights were being carried out on an adjusted schedule.