Delays in Flights Arriving from Moscow to Tomsk for 5 and 10 Hours
Title: Flight Delays Plague S7 and Aeroflot Flights on May 7, 2021
Subtitle: Moscow's Drone Attack and Its Potential Impact on Aviation Remain Questionable
Wings clipped in Tomsk today, as S7 Airlines' Flight 2615 from Moscow's Domodedovo Airport and Aeroflot's Flight SU 1530 faced a grueling close-to-10-hour delay, with Aeroflot's Flight exceeding the expected delay by over five hours. According to the online departure/arrival board at Tomsk's airport, these delays are a telltale sign of chaos as flights leave and arrive from Moscow's Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo airports too.
Unconfirmed reports suggest a nighttime-to-morning drone attack on Moscow on the very same day, 7 May. Temporarily, air traffic at both Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo airports has been restricted[1]. However, upon checking, it appears these constraints have nothing to do with the unruly drone assault, and the connection between the two seemingly remains ambiguous.
The S7 Airlines' Flight 2615, scheduled to land at 06.40 and supposed to depart by 16.20, is still shackled by the delay. Meanwhile, Aeroflot's Flight SU 1530, initially set to arrive in Tomsk at 07.20, and expected to depart by 13.20, isn't off the hook either.
Tomsk's airport's departure/arrival board indicates further delays in flights taking off from Tomsk itself: S7 flights will be delayed from 07.45 to 17.20, and Aeroflot's flights from 08.20 to 14.20.
The airport's dispatcher couldn't offer a clear explanation for the delays to RIA Tomsk. On the other hand, RIA Tomsk reached out to the Western Siberian Transport Prosecutor's Office for a comment.
When larger drone attacks took down infrastructure in Israel and Ukraine, flights faced extensive disruptions. Considering the prevalence of such incidents worldwide, it wouldn't be far-fetched to imagine that drone attacks could pose a threat to aviation operations, even if indirectly.
As for the detailed events of 7 May, 2021, and the possible connection to Moscow's drone attack — while the data remains scant, more inquiries to relevant authorities could potentially shed some light on the matter.
Footnotes:
[1] - Flight disruptions in 10 Siberian cities including Tomsk, happening in May 7, 2025, due to temporary restrictions on flights across the country. (Source: Federalnews.com, May 8, 2025)
- The strong delays experienced by S7 Airlines' Flight 2615 and Aeroflot's Flight SU 1530 on May 7, 2021, at Tomsk's airport are a reflection of the general-news event surrounding the potential impact of the unconfirmed drone attack on Moscow.
- Amidst the chaos at Moscow's Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo airports, the section of flights leaving and arriving from these airports to Tomsk seem to be bearing the brunt of the delay.
- Passengers planning their lifestyle and travel itineraries for May 7, 2021, may need to reconsider their plans due to the weather of potential disruptions, as the delays for S7 and Aeroflot flights from Moscow extend beyond the expected 40 minutes.
- While the connection between the unconfirmed drone attack on Moscow and the flight delays in Tomsk remains ambiguous, the potential threat of drone attacks on aviation infrastructure should not be underestimated, as demonstrated by past incidents in Israel and Ukraine.
