Sochi Airport faces another delay, with 47 flights being held up.
Sochi Airport in Russia has been experiencing flight delays for the fourth consecutive day, with the disruptions primarily caused by repeated drone attacks in the Krasnodar Krai region.
On August 8 and 9, the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) closed the airspace over Sochi multiple times due to drone threats. These closures resulted in at least 57 delayed flights and several cancellations on August 9 alone. Aeroflot and Rossiya Airlines publicly warned passengers of forced schedule adjustments and cancellations on routes to and from Sochi and nearby Gelendzhik airports.
The disruptions affected flights from various cities including Moscow, Perm, Surgut, Yekaterinburg, and popular tourist destinations like Antalya (Turkey) and Sharjah (UAE). The delays also impacted domestic flights such as those to Chelyabinsk and Samara, although specific flight numbers or exact delay durations for those destinations were not detailed in the sources.
The delays on August 10 and 11 at Sochi Airport were not directly attributed to the flight restrictions imposed on August 8 and 9. The origins of the delayed inbound flights include Dubai, Yaroslavl, Tbilisi, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Samara, Hurghada, Saratov, Moscow, Tel Aviv, Kazan, Pskov, and Nizhnekamsk. As of 10:30, 30 outbound flights were delayed from Sochi Airport, but no specific information was provided about the current status of the flight delays as of the time of this article.
In a positive development, in August, the airline Red Wings launched flights to Gelendzhik from Tatarstan and several flights from Yekaterinburg. However, the ongoing flight disruptions at Sochi Airport have caused widespread operational difficulties, creating large passenger backlogs and shaking confidence, as these attacks highlight ongoing security vulnerabilities.
| Factor | Details | |--------|---------| | Cause | Drone attacks and resultant airspace restrictions | | Dates | August 8–9, 2025 | | Agencies | Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya), air defenses | | Airlines | Aeroflot, Rossiya Airlines | | Flights affected | Dozens delayed/canceled, including domestic and international routes | | Passenger impact | Large crowds, over 1,000 passengers delayed per related regional reports | | Operational response | Flights redirected to alternate airports, schedule adjustments, enhanced contact center operations |
- Despite the launch of new flights to Gelendzhik by the airline Red Wings in August, the ongoing drone attacks and resulting airspace restrictions at Sochi Airport continue to adversely impact the lifestyle of travelers, causing operational difficulties and large passenger backlogs.
- The travel plans of sports enthusiasts may also be affected, as repeated delays and cancellations due to drone threats have disrupted flights to popular tourist destinations like Antalya (Turkey) and Sharjah (UAE).
