On October 9, 2026, Chkalov International Airport in Nizhny Novgorod received 23 aircraft that had originally been headed to airports of the Moscow air hub. The reason was temporary restrictions on the landing and departure of aircraft in the capital, imposed in connection with an attack by unmanned aerial vehicles.[1]

Circumstances of the event

On the night of October 10, 2026, a UAV danger alert was declared in Nizhny Novgorod Region.[1] The drone attack of October 9 forced the capital's airports to close their airspace to civilian aircraft, which led to mass diversion of flights to alternate airfields. The Nizhny Novgorod air hub became one of the main ones among them.[1]

The event took place against the backdrop of a series of similar episodes in the first ten days of October 2026: on October 6, Chkalov Airport had already received 14 diverted aircraft,[2] and on October 8, 16 planes headed to Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky (Ramenskoye) airports; at the same time, Sheremetyevo handled arrivals and departures only in coordination with the relevant authorities.[3][4]

Airport operations

During the preceding episode on October 8, all of the airport's ground services were switched to an enhanced round-the-clock mode of operation. Airport staff and airline representatives dealt with the stranded passengers: people were provided with drinking water from permanent water fountains, additional water coolers were installed as needed, and bean bag chairs and mattresses were handed out for rest. A mother-and-child room was available for passengers with children.[3][4] The airport applied the same procedure during the reception of 23 flights on October 9.[1]

On October 10, a number of flights from Nizhny Novgorod arrived late — a consequence of the delays that had built up at the air hub.[1] That same day, the previously issued UAV threat warning was lifted in Nizhny Novgorod Region.[1]

Sources

  1. Zhivyom v Nizhnem — Flights from Nizhny Novgorod to Moscow and Sochi delayed on October 6 — Zhivyom v Nizhnem (archive)
  2. Zhivyom v Nizhnem — Nizhny Novgorod received 14 flights bound for Moscow on October 6 — Zhivyom v Nizhnem
  3. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — Nizhny Novgorod airport received 16 Moscow flights on an unscheduled basis on October 8 Nizhny Novgorod News (archive)
  4. Pro Gorod Nizhny Novgorod — Nizhny Novgorod airport urgently received 16 aircraft headed for Moscow (archive)
  5. Otkrytyy Nizhniy — Nizhny Novgorod airport received 16 aircraft headed for Moscow — Incidents