--- title: "Pegasus turned its planes around in the sky and canceled dozens of flights to Moscow after Zelensky's statement" description: "Pegasus turned its planes around in the sky and canceled dozens of flights to Moscow and St. Petersburg after Zelensky's statement on closing the airspace over Russia. Tour operators are rebooking passengers onto other aircraft." date: 2026-09-02T10:08:01.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/pegasus-cancels-flights-to-moscow-after-zelensky-statement tags: [pegasus, turkey-airline, moscow-flights, drone-attacks, aviation] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Pegasus turned its planes around in the sky and canceled dozens of flights to Moscow after Zelensky's statement ![Pegasus Airlines aircraft taking off after the carrier cancelled dozens of Moscow flights](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/02/pegasus-otmenila-reysy-v-moskvu-posle-zayavleniya-zelenskogo/pegasus-otmenila-reysy-v-moskvu-posle-zayavleniya-zelenskogo-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Pegasus turned several aircraft around in the air and canceled dozens of flights to Russian cities in the early hours of September 2. - A company representative spoke of a ban by the "Turkish side," but Pegasus itself did not confirm an official ban. - Tour operators are rebooking passengers of canceled flights onto alternative aircraft. - Around 80 flights were canceled or delayed at Moscow airports due to the drone threat. Turkey's largest private airline, Pegasus, turned several of its own aircraft around in mid-air in the early hours of September 2, 2026, and in the morning canceled dozens of flights to Russian cities. According to RBC-Ukraine, citing the outlet "Ostorozhno, novosti," the cause was the aftermath of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statement about the beginning of the closure of the airspace over Russia. ### Turnarounds in the sky and mass cancellations As journalists found out, in the early hours of September 2, several Pegasus aircraft failed to reach Moscow and were forced to return to their departure airports. In the morning, the company canceled several dozen flights from Istanbul to Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as from Antalya, Izmir, and Dalaman to Russian cities; return flights from Russia were also canceled. ### "The Turkish side prohibits departures" A Pegasus representative, addressing the passengers of one of the canceled flights, stated that "the Turkish side prohibits departures." At the same time, the company itself acknowledged that it did not know what would happen next. Pegasus ticket offices in Russia reported that they were "unaware" of whether the planes would operate flights to Moscow and could not provide information about upcoming departures. ### Impact on passengers and tour operators Against the backdrop of the mass cancellations, tour operators began rebooking their clients onto alternative flights. This was reported by ATOR, TASS, and Interfax: passengers of canceled flights by Turkish airlines, primarily Pegasus, are being placed on other aircraft so that tourists are not left without a flight. ### Context: drone threat and leaders' statements The events are unfolding against the backdrop of a nighttime drone attack. Due to the threat of a drone attack, around 80 flights were canceled or delayed at Moscow airports: at Sheremetyevo, the changes affected 40 flights, at Domodedovo — 20, and at Vnukovo — 17. The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that over the night, 130 Ukrainian drones were neutralized over 11 regions of Russia and occupied Crimea. Recall that on September 1, Zelensky announced the beginning of the closure of the airspace over Russia, while Vladimir Putin publicly threatened a "response" and stated that Russian forces had been ordered to strike Ukraine's energy infrastructure. ### Contradictory data Accounts of the reasons for the cancellations differ. A passenger quoting a Pegasus representative speaks of a direct ban by the "Turkish side," while the company itself and its Russian ticket offices claim that they do not know what will happen next and do not confirm an official ban. Moreover, the figure of 130 neutralized drones and the list of 11 regions are cited exclusively on the basis of the Russian Ministry of Defense and are not confirmed by independent sources, so they should be treated with caution. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Planes were turned around right in the sky. Turkey's major carrier canceled flights to Moscow](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/litaki-rozvernuli-pryamo-nebi-velikiy-aviapereviznik-1788343297.html) - Основной источник: развороты в ночь на 2 сентября, отмены рейсов из Стамбула, Анталии, Измира, Даламана, слова представителя Pegasus о запрете со стороны «турецкой стороны». - [ATOR: passengers are being rebooked onto other flights due to the situation with Pegasus](https://www.kp.ru/online/news/7152978/) - Подтверждает пересадку пассажиров отмененных рейсов Pegasus на альтернативные борта. - [Tour operators are rebooking clients onto other flights amid the situation with Pegasus](https://tass.ru/ekonomika/28070567) - Подтверждает действия туроператоров по размещению клиентов на другие рейсы. - [Tour operators are rebooking tourists from canceled flights of Turkish airlines](https://www.interfax-russia.ru/tourism/news/turoperatory-peresazhivayut-turistov-s-otmenennyh-reysov-tureckih-aviakompaniy) - Подтверждает пересадку туристов с отмененных рейсов турецких авиакомпаний. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What happened to Pegasus flights in the early hours of September 2? **A:** Several Pegasus aircraft failed to reach Moscow and turned around in the air, returning to their departure airports. In the morning, the company canceled dozens of flights to Russian cities and back. ### Q: Why were the flights canceled? **A:** A Pegasus representative said that "the Turkish side prohibits departures," but the company itself did not confirm an official ban and stated that it does not know what will happen next. The cancellations are occurring against the backdrop of the drone attack threat and Zelensky's statement on closing the airspace over Russia. ### Q: What is happening to the passengers of the canceled flights? **A:** Tour operators are rebooking passengers onto alternative flights so that tourists are not left without a flight, according to ATOR, TASS, and Interfax.