Turkish budget airline Pegasus canceled a flight from Bodrum to Moscow overnight into September 2 and turned two other aircraft bound for the Russian capital back to Turkey, the Telegram channel Ostorozhno, Novosti reported. Passengers on the canceled flight were told that "the Turkish side is banning departures" because of the "situation with the airspace."
At Moscow's Vnukovo airport, several Pegasus flights from the city — two to Istanbul, one to Bodrum and one to Dalaman — were listed as canceled on the departures board. At least two Turkish Airlines flights to Istanbul, a Nesma Airlines flight to Sharm el-Sheikh and a Shirak Avia flight to Yerevan were also scrapped. Turkish Airlines' later schedule for the day remained unchanged.
Vnukovo introduced temporary restrictions "for security reasons" overnight into September 2. Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) said the restrictions were lifted at around 6 a.m.
The cancellations came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned foreign airlines and insurers that Russian airspace is becoming "fully unsafe." "We warn our partners: the safe moments in Russia's sky are over," he said, adding that drones will appear in a way that "will have to be reckoned with."
Russian President Vladimir Putin called Zelensky's remarks "a bid for state terrorism," promising that Russia would find a response if such tragedies occur.
Aviation risk assessment firm Osprey Flight Solutions issued a warning to airlines, Reuters reported, saying that daily attacks deep inside Russia, including near Moscow and St. Petersburg, would be almost inevitable until the end of 2026. Analysts also warned of the risk of miscalculation and mistaken target identification in areas linked to the war in Ukraine.