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Moscow airports resume flights after temporary suspension in operations

While the restrictions were in effect, two planes were redirected to alternate airports

by Gulf Business

August 23, 2023

Image credit: Getty Images

Airports in Moscow are functioning normally after restrictions were introduced overnight on Wednesday, reported Russia’s TASS news agency.

“As of 08:00 am on August 23, Moscow airports and Zhukovsky Airport are operating as usual. Earlier, in the early morning, in order to ensure the safety of flights of civilian aircraft, flights were temporarily restricted there,” the agency said.

While the restrictions were in effect, two planes were redirected to alternate airports.

Airports in Russia’s capital region suspended flights early on Wednesday, Russia’s TASS news agency reported citing unnamed officials.

Major airports around the city repeatedly closed for departing and arriving flights due to the threat of drone strikes.

Air defenses shot down a drone outside Moscow, while another drone hit a building under construction in the Moscow City financial district, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin wrote on Telegram:https://t.co/opmW7nd7rR pic.twitter.com/Ti2GCzBrvM

— TASS (@tassagency_en) August 23, 2023

This was the second time in as many days that the airspace above Moscow was closed. A drone strike on August 22 in the nearby town of Krasnogorsk brought a halt to operations across all of the city’s airports. The step was taken “in order to ensure additional flight safety measures”, TASS and RIA said, citing the airport’s press service.

The Russian defencee ministry confirmed the events, saying, “Two drones were detected and destroyed by air defence systems over the territory of the Moscow region.”

Moscow’s airports

Moscow is one of several major cities around the world to boast multiple airports. The Russian capital has a network of four airports. Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO) is the nation’s busiest airport, while Moscow Domodedovo Airport (DME) is the second biggest. The city’s third-largest airport is Vnukovo International Airport (VKO) while Zhukovsky International Airport (ZIA) is the smallest of Moscow’s airports.

Multiple airlines from the GCC countries fly to Moscow. Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Air Arabia, Gulf Air have flights to Russia’s capital.

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