Makhachkala airport closes indefinitely after drone incident in Kaspiysk

Makhachkala International Airport (in Russia's Dagestan Republic) has suspended all operations indefinitely following a drone incident in the city of Kaspiysk, as confirmed by Sapura Magomedova, the Public Relations Advisor to the airport's General Director.

“The airport is currently closed for an unlimited period,” Magomedova stated, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

The airport’s live departure board shows delays on three flights: Makhachkala-Perm (operated by Azimuth Airlines) and two Makhachkala-Moscow flights (operated by UTair and Pobeda Airlines).

Artyom Korenyako, a spokesperson for Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, announced that temporary restrictions had been applied at the airport starting from 8:35 a.m. Moscow time.

“The airport is temporarily not receiving or dispatching flights. Crews, air traffic controllers, and airport staff are implementing all necessary measures to ensure flight safety,” Korenyako shared.

Earlier, Dagestan’s head, Sergey Melikov, reported that air defence forces had intercepted and destroyed a drone over Kaspiysk. “This morning, air defence forces took down an unmanned aerial vehicle over Kaspiysk. An operational headquarters is active, and I am in constant communication with relevant authorities,” Melikov stated on his Telegram channel.

Makhachkala Airport serves as the primary base for the airline Red Wings.

By Khagan Isayev