Russia: Flights disrupted at St Petersburg airport amid drone threat

Operations at Pulkovo Airport were severely disrupted on the morning of April 17 after a reported drone attack targeted Russia’s Leningrad Region, forcing multiple aircraft to delay or divert.

According to Russian media reports, at least five incoming flights were unable to land at the airport and were redirected to holding patterns over neighbouring regions. One aircraft arriving from Sharm el-Sheikh was circling over the Pskov Region, while two others were reported over the Vologda Region—one near Lake Beloye and another in the vicinity of the village of Izboishchi. Additional flights from Surgut and Perm were also affected.

Airport authorities reported significant disruption to schedules. A total of 11 outbound flights were delayed, while eight were cancelled. On the arrivals side, six flights were cancelled amid the ongoing situation.

Russian air defence systems were deployed in response to the incident, with authorities stating that several unmanned aerial vehicles had been intercepted over the Leningrad Region. Preliminary reports indicate that at least three drones were shot down. No casualties or damage have been reported so far.

By Vugar Khalilov