Russia Travel Chaos Erupts As Aeroflot, Rossiya Airlines, Turkish Airlines And Belavia Face 99 Delays And 7 Cancellations Across Moscow, St. Petersburg, Beijing, Belgrade And More

Written By: Iram Firdosh

Iram Firdosh

I’m Iram Firdosh, a Content Writer at Travel and Tour World. Dedicated and detail-focused, I love turning travel ideas and creativity into engaging stories. Committed to growth and quality. In my free time I enjoy reading, photography, and exploring new places.

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May 23, 2026 22:47 GMT+5:30

Russia’s flown connections were impacted after severe disruptions to flight schedules, and cancellations at Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport and St. Petersburg Pulkovo Airport. The problem collided multiple factors for all air travel in Russia and surrounding areas, and placed more strain on all airlines, airport authorities, and tour operators as well passengers located near and in Russia.

Sheremetyevo International Airport is the largest Aeroflot and Rossiya Airlines hub, and is one of the largest international airports in Russia. It reported 54 flights were delayed and 5 flights were canceled. Pulkovo Airport reported 45 flights delayed, and 2 flight cancellations.

The problems continued on all routes and all services travel and trade between Europe, Asia, Russ and the Middle East. Airlines affected were Belavia, Air China, China Southern, Etihad, Air Serbia, and Turkey Airline and other.

Operational data was published using the airport and aviation companies that tracked aviation delays and flights. It also showed that delays were concentrated to Russian carriers at Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport and St. Petersburg Pulkovo.

Sheremetyevo Airport Faces Intense Pressure Amid Flight Backlogs

Sheremetyevo International Airport experienced the most severe operational impact among Russia’s major airports. The airport reported fifty-four delayed departures and arrivals along with five cancelled services.

Aeroflot alone accounted for thirty-eight delayed flights, representing nearly one quarter of its operations at the airport during the reporting period. Rossiya Airlines faced three cancellations and seven delays, making it the worst affected carrier in terms of outright cancellations.

International carriers were also caught in the disruption. Flights operated by Belavia, Air China, China Southern Airlines, Etihad Airways and Air Serbia recorded delays ranging from moderate to severe percentages of their scheduled operations.

Sheremetyevo serves as a major transit gateway connecting Russia with Asia, the Middle East and parts of Europe. Heavy delays at the airport created ripple effects across multiple connecting flights, forcing many passengers to miss onward journeys and increasing congestion inside terminals.

Russian aviation authorities and airport operational teams continued working to stabilise schedules and reduce backlog pressure throughout the day.

Pulkovo Airport Also Struggles With Heavy Delays

Pulkovo Airport also experienced major operational strain as forty-five flights were delayed and two cancelled.

Rossiya Airlines recorded fourteen delayed flights at the airport, while Uzbekistan Airways faced one cancellation and four delays. Other affected airlines included Smartavia, Aeroflot, Nordwind Airlines, RusLine, S7 Airlines, Ural Airlines and Turkish Airlines.

Several airlines showed extremely high delay percentages. Ural Airlines reported delays affecting seventy-five percent of operations, while Uzbekistan Airways faced disruption to eighty percent of scheduled services.

Pulkovo Airport acts as a strategic northern aviation gateway for Russia, handling strong passenger traffic to Central Asia, Türkiye and major domestic cities. Delays at the airport increased pressure on airline scheduling systems and passenger handling operations.

Passengers Face Long Waits And Missed Connections

Thousands of passengers were directly impacted by the disruptions at both airports. Delayed departures caused long queues at check-in counters, baggage collection points and boarding gates.

Travellers with connecting itineraries faced the highest level of disruption. Many international passengers transiting through Moscow or St. Petersburg risked missing onward flights to destinations across Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Business travellers, tourists, students and migrant workers experienced uncertainty as airlines attempted to rearrange schedules and manage passenger rebooking requests. Some travellers reportedly remained inside terminals for extended periods waiting for updated flight information.

The disruption also increased operational costs for airlines due to aircraft repositioning challenges, crew scheduling changes and compensation obligations linked with lengthy delays.

Tourism Sector Faces Growing Pressure

The disruptions arrive during an active travel period when Russia’s domestic and regional tourism markets continue handling strong seasonal passenger demand. Moscow and St. Petersburg remain among the country’s largest tourism centres, attracting both local and international visitors.

Flight instability at Sheremetyevo and Pulkovo could affect hotel bookings, tour schedules and regional travel confidence if disruptions continue over multiple days. Tourism operators relying on predictable air connectivity may face cancellations and itinerary changes from international travellers.

Travel agencies and tourism businesses also face pressure because delayed arrivals often disrupt cruise departures, rail connections and organised tours operating across Russia and neighbouring countries.

International tourism confidence can weaken when major hub airports experience repeated operational instability. Airlines may also need additional recovery time to restore normal network performance after widespread delays.

Russian Aviation Network Attempts Recovery

As recovery efforts continue, Russian aviation authorities, airport operators and airline control centers will be adjusting regulations as needed. Delays should begin to diminish as airlines restructure rotations and reschedule crews.

There was minimal impact to the daily workflow of the airlines as airports remained open and departures and arrivals were processed.

Operational pressures have made it necessary for passengers traveling to and from Sheremetyevo and Pulkovo airports to expect delays and check for updates more often. Airport staff have recommended that passengers arrive early and allow flexibility for delays.

This latest disruption is a perfect example of the precariousness of some of the larger international connections. With delays spreading almost instantly across the system and impacting thousands, it is a reminder that slight disruptions can be quite large.

Authors Observation: All information is manually obtained from FlightAware’s official website, and all operations are subject to change based on real-time updates. In order to maintain safety, airlines actively modify schedules and itineraries. In order to get to their destinations safely, passengers are asked not to panic in such situations and to look for alternate travel choices. Relying on real-time updates, reviewing airline rebooking restrictions, and maintaining flexibility with travel plans are all highly recommended.

Source: Flightaware