Finland Closes Airspace and Sea Area Over Eastern Gulf of Finland for Hours as Precaution Against Stray Drones
Why It MattersRepeated short-notice airspace closures along Finland's eastern border add a recurring planning constraint for flights routing near the Gulf of Finland and the Russian frontier.
The Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) temporarily restricted airspace and a sea area in the eastern Gulf of Finland on Sunday, 18 October 2026. The restrictions took effect shortly before 03:00 local time and were lifted at 09:43. According to Fintraffic's restriction map, the closed sea area lay off Kotka, bounded by Kaunissaari open water to the west, Hamina harbour to the north, and the territorial-waters limit to the east and south. Aviation was restricted from the Loviisa area to the eastern land border.
The FDF described the measure as a precaution intended to safeguard the operating conditions of both bystanders and authorities in intercepting possible drones. Drone attacks were reported on both St Petersburg and Moscow, and the strike on St Petersburg appeared to be the largest this autumn. No drones strayed into Finland, the FDF said on X.
The FDF had imposed restrictions on the eastern Gulf of Finland most recently on Saturday morning, and similar precautions have been taken in previous months. The background is the risk of drones straying into Finland as Ukraine carries out strikes in Finland's neighbouring areas as part of its defensive war against Russia.
