Russian Airports Were Closed Nearly 3,000 Times In 2026 Due To Drones
3- 24.10.2026, 20:12
That is 4.5 times more than a year earlier.
From January through August 2026, Russian civilian airports were closed 2,860 times due to restrictions imposed because of the threat posed by UAVs, according to calculations by Forbes based on reports from Rosaviatsia.
This is 4.5 times more than the previous year, when the “Kover” plan was implemented 643 times, excluding restrictions due to weather conditions. In the first eight months of 2025, 1,174 flights were diverted to alternate airports, but Rosaviatsiya did not report this year’s figure on its Telegram channel. According to Forbes, the number of diverted flights may have increased approximately fourfold.
According to Andrey Patrakov , CEO of RunAvia , the number of diversions to alternate airports from January through September 2026 could have risen to 4,000–5,000. This year, the total duration of restrictions caused by drones has also increased—by 4.1 times, Patrakov stated. According to him, disruptions have become longer, and flights are now more often delayed or canceled at the departure airport rather than being diverted. Now, airports are even being closed in the Urals and Western Siberia, where there are fewer flights per hour than in the European part of Russia. According to Forbes estimates, airlines’ losses from the “Kover” plans this year could exceed 200 billion rubles.
For example, the cost per average flight when it is rerouted to another airport in 2026 amounts to approximately 1.1–2.1 million rubles, of which about half goes toward fuel, whereas last year this figure was 0.9–1.7 million rubles, according to Patrakov’s estimates. According to him, if the closure of the destination airport is delayed, costs for passenger accommodations and crew replacement are added, and direct costs rise to 1.9–3.4 million rubles.
If airport services, crew pay, and lost revenue are factored in, the expert estimates that airlines could have lost between 175 and 275 billion rubles over the first nine months of 2026. This involves 24,000 affected flights, of which 13,000 were delayed and 11,000 were canceled, Patrakov said.
In October, Ukrainian drones caused at least five major disruptions at Russia’s largest aviation hub—Moscow. On the afternoon of October 23, all four airports—Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, and Zhukovsky—were closed. On Friday, more than 340 flights were delayed or canceled, and the schedules of more than 200 additional flights were disrupted on Saturday.
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