A drone attack against the administrative center of Rostov-on-Don has paralyzed air traffic in the southern regions of Russia, directly affecting the schedule of Zvartnots International Airport. According to the NOTAM notification, the restrictions will be in place at least until the end of the day on May 11, but the effects are already being felt. Massive cancellations and long delays are reported in Yerevan.
The situation in "Zvartnots"
According to the online scoreboard of Yerevan airport, more than 15 flights in southern directions were affected only on May 8 and 9. Flights to Sochi, Krasnodar and Mineralnye Vody were mainly hit.
Sochi (AER): The flights of "Azimut" airline company (3F 350/349) on May 8 have been completely cancelled. "Aeroflot" planes (SU 600/601) are being delivered with critical delays. The arrival from Sochi, which was expected at 11:00, was moved to 17:30, and the return flight from noon to evening (18:30). The high probability of cancellation of the remaining consecutive flights remains.
Krasnodar (KRR): air traffic is almost interrupted. "Azimuth" flights (3F 394/393) were cancelled. The evening flight of "Aeroflot" (SU 614/615) was delayed for more than an hour and a half. The probability of cancellation of flights in the coming days remains high.
Mineralnye Vody (MRV): Daytime flights of "Azimut" and S7 airlines (A4 6029/6030 and S7 4053/4054) on May 8 were cancelled. Although some flights on the morning of May 9 are still listed as "scheduled for departure", cancellations are also highly likely given the extent of damage to the control center.
Closing the skies of southern Russia is a forced measure. The Rostov control center coordinated up to 2,000 flights a day, including transit flights to the countries of the South Caucasus and the Middle East. At present, the work of 13 important airports of Russia is suspended. The restrictions affected the aviation hubs of Astrakhan, Vladikavkaz, Volgograd, Gelendzhik, Grozny, Krasnodar, Makhachkala, Magas, Mineralnye Vody, Nalchik, Sochi, Stavropol and Elista.
What should passengers do?
The Ministry of Transport warned about a significant reduction in the flight schedule. Specialists in Rostov-on-Don are assessing the condition of the damaged equipment, but we should not expect stabilization of the schedule until May 11 at 23:59.
Passengers on flights arriving and departing from southern Russian cities to Yerevan are strongly advised to check their flight status before leaving for the airport, as the list of canceled flights may be full in the coming hours.
