Rosaviatsiya Closes Moscow Airports for Up to Nine Hours Daily Amid Drone Activity

Moscow's aviation infrastructure faces daily interruptions due to Ukrainian drone activity. Rosaviatsiya, Russia's aviation authority, has closed four major airports almost every day this month.

According to investigative outlet Agentstvo, Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Zhukovsky, and Vnukovo airports have suspended operations with varying duration. On some days, the closures lasted as long as nine hours. The frequency of these shutdowns has intensified since October began.

The closures are triggered by the 'carpet' protocol, a safety procedure mandated by Rosaviatsiya. This protocol requires immediate airspace closure when unidentified objects appear or aircraft violate borders. The rules apply strict limits to all air traffic in affected regions.

Oleksandr Laneckij, chief executive of Friendly Avia Support, noted that every drone is treated as a military threat. He compared the disruption to the Houthi impact on Saudi airspace, stating that Ukraine's capabilities exceed those of the Yemeni group. Laneckij warned that Russia may lower the threshold for declaring the protocol, increasing the risk to civilian flights.

Military analyst Jan Matvejev stated that Ukraine can severely disrupt traffic with simple drones that lack warheads. He argued that Russian air defenses are not fully effective, noting that Russia would have deployed more troops if it had them available. Matvejev said the risk of collision is high because a drone weighing dozens of kilograms can cause serious damage to an airplane.

The 2024 Christmas day crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight serves as a recent example of the danger. Investigators determined that a Russian air-defense missile, fired to counter drones, killed 38 people. Matvejev observed that little has changed in Russia's air-defense protocol since that incident.

Foreign airlines must weigh the military threat against demand and insurance costs when deciding to keep flying to Russia. Laneckij said insurers could sharply raise premiums, which would push ticket prices higher. This decision affects the remaining carriers in a market where competition has already shrunk due to the exit of many airlines.