Two Flights Cancelled in Minsk Amid Restrictions at Moscow Airports

Reform.news Editorial Team · 9 October 2026, 17:44

https://reform.news/en/two-flights-cancelled-in-minsk-amid-restrictions-at-moscow-airports/

Two Belavia flights between Minsk and Moscow have been cancelled at Minsk National Airport. This is indicated by the airport’s electronic departures and arrivals board here.

Specifically, the arrival of flight B2958 from Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport, scheduled for 1:40 p.m., has been cancelled, as has the departure of flight B2957 to Domodedovo, which was due to leave at 10:00 a.m.

According to Astra, Moscow and the surrounding region came under attack by drones and small balloons. Residents of southern districts of the Russian capital reported explosions and air defence activity. The “Carpet” plan was introduced at all four airports serving the Moscow aviation hub: Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Zhukovsky and Sheremetyevo.

The previous day, October 8, a plane travelling from Istanbul to Vnukovo was diverted to Minsk, which was used as an alternate airport. Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency introduced temporary restrictions on aircraft arrivals and departures at Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports. The agency said the measures were necessary to ensure “flight safety.”

According to estimates by AlfaStrakhovanie cited by Kommersant, the number of scheduled passenger flights delayed by at least two hours rose 2.2-fold in January–September 2026 compared with the same period last year, while the cancellation rate doubled. Only 52% of flights departed on schedule, compared with 57% a year earlier.