St. Petersburg airport closes twice in one day over security threat
Photo: the airport in St. Petersburg was closed due to an unknown object in the air (Russian media)
Early on Saturday morning, January 4, flight restrictions were imposed at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Carpet plan has been implemented at this air hub for the second time since the start of the day, report Astra and Russian Telegram channels.
For the first time after midnight, Pulkovo Airport also prohibited aircraft from landing and taking off.
Russian media reported that the restrictions were introduced "for safety reasons."
Later, the governor of the Leningrad region stated that an air defense system had allegedly shot down a drone in the area.
Later in the morning, Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) announced that flights were temporarily halted for "safety reasons."
"To ensure the safety of civilian aircraft, temporary restrictions were introduced at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg starting at 7:45 a.m. Moscow time. The airport is not currently accepting or dispatching flights. Aircraft crews, air traffic controllers, and airport services are taking all necessary measures to ensure flight safety, which remains the top priority," the agency's statement reads.
According to the Telegram channel Shot, the Carpet plan was implemented at the St. Petersburg airport for the second time in 24 hours. Six aircraft preparing to land are now in holding patterns near Lake Ladoga.
According to preliminary reports, operations at Pulkovo Airport were restricted due to a potential drone attack threat.
Earlier, it was reported that on January 1, the airport in the Russian city of Saransk was also closed due to a drone threat.
