Passengers arrive at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport on 1 April 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE/MAXIM SHIPENKOV

At least two foreign airlines are considering transferring the destination of some of their inbound and outbound Russian flights from Moscow airports to Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg, state-affiliated business daily Vedomosti reported on Thursday, citing a source at a Russian airline.

According to Vedomosti, two airlines that already fly to Pulkovo have initiated negotiations on transferring other flights to the St. Petersburg airport. One of the airlines is thought to be Turkish Airlines, the source said.

The main reason for the change is the frequent closure of airspace in Moscow and the Moscow region due to Ukrainian drone attacks. The source told Vedomosti that while passengers were still flying to international destinations from Moscow, many had first travelled to the city from St. Petersburg.

The press service of Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport said that foreign airlines had not yet transferred any flights from there to Pulkovo Airport.

According to the most conservative estimates, Russian air carriers could already have lost about a billion rubles (€11 million) this year due to the disruption caused by Ukrainian drone attacks. To exclude risk altogether, airport shutdowns would need to be more widespread, air security experts previously told Novaya Gazeta Europe.