Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines canceled several flights between Moscow and Turkey overnight on September 2, amid temporary security restrictions at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport and a warning from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the growing risks of flying through Russian airspace.
At least one Pegasus flight, PC1456 from Bodrum to Moscow, scheduled to depart at 12:05 a.m., was canceled, according to Russian reports. Passengers were reportedly told that Turkish airlines had canceled flights because of the “airspace situation.”
Vnukovo Airport’s departure board listed additional Pegasus cancellations, including two flights to Istanbul, one to Bodrum and one to Dalaman.
Several other international flights were also canceled overnight, including Turkish Airlines services to Istanbul, a Nesma Airlines flight to Sharm El Sheikh and a Shirak Avia flight to Yerevan.
The disruption came shortly after Vnukovo temporarily restricted operations for security reasons. Russia’s aviation authorities later announced around 6 a.m. Moscow time that the restrictions had been lifted, with later Turkish Airlines flights appearing on the schedule without changes.
The cancellations followed Zelensky’s warning on September 1 that Russian airspace was “becoming unsafe,” saying drones would appear in Russian skies in ways airlines would have to take into account.
The warning adds another layer of uncertainty for international carriers operating routes through Russian airspace, particularly as drone-related security threats continue to affect aviation operations in the region.
Russia has strongly criticized Zelensky’s remarks, with President Vladimir Putin describing them as a “bid for state terrorism.”
For passengers, the immediate question remains whether the cancellations were a temporary response to the overnight security restrictions or a sign of longer-term changes to flights between Turkey and Russia.
