Russian airlines lose over 250 million dollars amid airport chaos
Russian airlines lose over 250 million dollars amid airport chaos (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
On July 5–6, a major disruption occurred at three of Russia's largest airports, potentially causing airlines to lose over 250 million dollars, according to Kommersant and Meduza.
According to Kommersant, on July 5–6, over 250 flights were canceled and more than 270 delayed at Sheremetyevo, Pulkovo, and Strigino airports (Nizhny Novgorod).
As a result of the chaos, airlines lost an estimated 4–6 billion rubles (50–76 million dollars) in the first 24 hours alone.
Over the weekend, total airline losses may have reached around 20 billion rubles (over 250 million dollars).
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 7 dismissed Transport Minister Roman Starovoit, who had held the position since May 2024.
Collapse at Russian airports
On July 5–6, hundreds of flights were canceled across Russian airports.
By the evening of July 6, approximately 287 flights had been canceled in total.
Amid the chaos, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin complained that drones were flying toward the Russian capital and were being "shot down" by air defense systems.
