Moscow's Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports partially closed amid drone threat
Why It MattersEscalating drone-related airspace restrictions point to a structural rise in operational unpredictability and disruption risk across Russian civil aviation.
Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsiya, announced on 10 September 2026 that Moscow's Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports were partially closed following a reported drone threat, though both continued accepting and dispatching flights subject to approval from relevant authorities. The head of the Moscow Region's Istra district also reported a drone threat in the area.
The restrictions add to a sharp escalation in drone-related disruptions to Russia's civil aviation sector. Russian airports were temporarily closed 993 times in August 2026, more than a third higher than in July and exceeding the total closures recorded throughout all of 2025, according to aviation risk consultancy Osprey Flight Solutions. Russian airports recorded 2,182 temporary closures during the three summer months of 2026, compared with 1,923 for the whole of 2025.
