Long flight delays in Russia doubled in 2025, Ukrainian drone attacks cited as the main cause

The number of long flight delays at Russian airports doubled in 2025, with more than 4.5 million passengers facing delays of three hours or more, according to a report by the daily newspaper Kommersant. The main reason was the threat of drone attacks.

Out of approximately 865,000 tracked flights, the share departing with delays of more than three hours increased from 2% to 4%. The proportion of flights delayed by more than four hours also doubled, from 1% to 2%. The statistics did not include canceled flights.

In 2025, one in eight flights was delayed by an hour or more, according to the newspaper.

Moscow airports ranked among the worst performers for punctuality. At Vnukovo Airport, the share of flights departing on schedule fell from 41% in 2024 to 32% in 2025. At Zhukovsky Airport, the figure declined from 40% to 36%. Domodedovo Airport saw on-time departures drop from 55% to 50%, while Sheremetyevo Airport fell from 67% to 50%.

The main cause of the mass delays was restrictions on airport operations linked to the threat of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The newspaper said broader disruptions were avoided by partially closing airspace instead of imposing full shutdowns, allowing airports to depart and receive aircraft along pre-approved safe routes.