Finnish authorities cleared the Egyptian carrier's aircraft to land at Helsinki-Vantaa airport. After refuelling, the plane continued its journey.
The restrictions at Pulkovo were imposed during a drone attack on the Leningrad Region. At least 16 flights were delayed by more than two hours, The Insider reported.
The outlet examined statements from European aviation authorities and local media reports and counted at least eight documented forced landings of aircraft bound for Russia at airports in EU countries. Six occurred in Finland, one each in Estonia and Poland. Six of the eight cases fell in 2026.
The earliest case was the night of 16 February 2025. An AlMasria Universal Airlines plane flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to Kaliningrad landed in the Polish city of Poznan because of heavy snowfall at its destination airport. There were 216 passengers on board, and the aircraft departed only around 10 a.m. local time.
On 24 August 2025, another aircraft of the same airline, flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, landed in Tallinn after Pulkovo was closed during a mass drone attack in which an oil terminal in Ust-Luga was damaged. The Airbus A321 stood in Estonia from 5:33 to 11:08, and passengers and crew were not allowed to leave the plane.
On 25 March, a Nesma Airlines plane flying from Hurghada to St. Petersburg landed in Helsinki because of the closure of Pulkovo. Passengers waited for departure in the terminal, and the aircraft reached St. Petersburg only in the evening.
Three days later, on 28 March, two Air Serbia planes flying from Belgrade to St. Petersburg landed in Helsinki at once. One continued to Russia after refuelling; the second remained in Finland because of a technical fault. There were 128 passengers on board, the airline sent another aircraft and took the people back to Serbia in the evening.
On the night of 20 May, an AlMasria Universal Airlines plane operating flight UJ625 from Sharm el-Sheikh was landed in Helsinki because of restrictions at Pulkovo. Passengers told Fontanka they spent about four hours on board. The aircraft then headed toward St. Petersburg, but the airport was closed again, and the plane ultimately landed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo.
On 6 June, Turkish Airlines flight TK405 from Istanbul to St. Petersburg was redirected to Helsinki; Pulkovo also suspended operations that day because of a mass drone attack. After stopping, the plane left Finnish airspace.
Seven of the eight cases found were linked to the closure of the St. Petersburg airport during drone attacks. The Insider notes that this is a confirmed minimum: there is no single open register of such landings.
The European Union's ban on flights by Russian airlines, aircraft with Russian registration and aircraft under Russian control took effect on 28 February 2022. It does not automatically apply to all flights to Russia. As the European Union Aviation Safety Agency explains, the decisive factors are the aircraft's registration, the airline's status and the presence of Russian control over the aircraft.