Moscow Flight Disruptions on Oct. 23: What the 17-Flight Figure Actually Counts

The 17-flight figure circulating alongside reports of Moscow’s Oct. 23 disruptions belongs to a different day and a different kind of diversion. Chkalov Airport in Nizhny Novgorod reported receiving 17 Moscow-bound flights on Oct. 16, after restrictions affected arrivals and departures at Moscow airports the previous night. Reports of aircraft returning to Turkey describe separate incidents on Oct. 13 and Oct. 17.

That distinction matters for operators trying to understand the scale and shape of the disruption. A flight landing at another airport in Russia has not necessarily turned back to its departure country, and figures published at different times can describe separate movements or count the same aircraft more than once.

Four Moscow airports faced changing restrictions

On Oct. 23, temporary restrictions affected Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky. Flights bound for Moscow were diverted to other airports, while reports described passengers at Sheremetyevo being directed to shelters. The restrictions and subsequent reopening notices changed over the course of the day, so the situation cannot be summarized as one continuous closure with a single, final count.

At 17:59, Rosaviatsiya reported that restrictions at Sheremetyevo had been lifted. A notice at 22:40 said restrictions at Zhukovsky, which had been imposed again, were lifted. At 23:05, Rosaviatsiya reported that aircraft arrivals and departures at Vnukovo and Domodedovo would take place with coordination and approval because of airspace restrictions.

The latest cutoff in the reviewed notices is 01:37 on Oct. 24. By then, no later notice lifting the remaining restrictions had been found. That leaves the overnight operating picture unresolved in the available records: they do not establish that all four airports stayed closed throughout the day, or that normal operations had fully resumed everywhere.

What the 17-flight record describes

Chkalov Airport reported at 09:19 on Oct. 16 that 17 flights bound for Moscow had been diverted to Nizhny Novgorod. The diversions followed restrictions on aircraft arrivals and departures at Moscow airports the previous night. The airport said passengers were being assisted by airline and ground-service staff and were provided with food and beverages.

After the restrictions were lifted, some aircraft continued onward to Moscow. Airlines could instead arrange bus transfers to Moscow for some passengers. A same-day report from NIA Nizhny Novgorod identified Rossiya flight SU6312, travelling from Kaliningrad to Moscow, among the diverted flights. That example shows the group was not limited to aircraft arriving from abroad.

The airport’s report did not list all 17 flights, their airlines or their departure points. It also did not say the aircraft had been sent back to Russia from Turkey. The available information supports a count of flights diverted to an alternative Russian airport on Oct. 16; it does not support treating that count as a tally of aircraft returning to Turkey or as part of the Oct. 23 disruption.

Turkey-bound return reports cover other dates

A separate report published at 23:56 on Oct. 13 by Kommersant, citing TASS, said 10 aircraft travelling from Turkey to Moscow had decided to return because of restrictions at Vnukovo. The report named departures from Istanbul, Antalya, Izmir and Dalaman and said temporary landings in Istanbul were expected. It did not provide a flight-by-flight account confirming where every aircraft ultimately landed.

Another report, published in the early hours of Oct. 17, concerned five Turkish Airlines flights from Antalya to Vnukovo that were returning to Turkey. Vzglyad, citing RIA Novosti and airline representatives, reported that at least one aircraft was expected to land in Istanbul. The Oct. 13 report of 10 flights and the Oct. 17 report of five flights are separate accounts; neither is the Oct. 16 Nizhny Novgorod diversion.

On Oct. 23, Bulgarian publication Investor.bg reported that Moscow airspace disruptions had lasted for hours and that numerous aircraft were diverted. Its coverage also said flights arriving from Antalya and Dubai were affected. That indicates Turkey-linked flights were again part of the day’s disruption, but the report does not confirm that 17 aircraft returned to Turkey.

Other reported figures count different things

Fontanka, citing Pulkovo Airport, reported that as of 18:00 on Oct. 23, St. Petersburg had accepted 29 aircraft bound for Moscow. The same report said Pulkovo departures to Moscow had resumed. The 29 refers to aircraft received by Pulkovo that day; it cannot be added to the 17 flights received in Nizhny Novgorod a week earlier to produce a combined count for one incident.

Romanian outlets Antena 3 CNN and Mediafax reported temporary closures at the four Moscow airports, delays and passengers being directed to shelters or evacuated from the airport area. Antena 3’s figure of 17 referred to drones mentioned by Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin, not to passenger aircraft. Ukrinform likewise covered the airport restrictions and reported Sobyanin’s figure. An earlier Suspilne report cited a figure of 14 drones. These were reports of figures attributed to Russian sources at different times, not an independently verified count.

The practical takeaway is to check the date, destination airport and wording behind each number. Diversions within Russia, returns toward Turkey, aircraft accepted at Pulkovo and reported drone figures describe different events or measures. Keeping those categories separate gives shippers and travelers a clearer picture of which routes and airports were affected as restrictions changed.

Source: SeaNews Türkiye