Airport in Sochi crumbles following drone strike
Sochi Airport has experienced significant disruptions over the past few days, with eight flights delayed by more than two hours and over 50 flights affected in total. The delays began overnight on August 30 and have caused thousands of travellers to be stranded.
The halt in flights is due to "production issues with airlines," although it is unclear what exactly these issues entail. Passengers are finding themselves sitting on the floor at the airport due to a lack of seats, with mats being provided to help them cope with the long waits.
Meanwhile, the Krasnodar Oil Refinery was the target of a drone attack overnight on August 30. The attack caused a fire covering 300 square meters and damage to one of the technological units. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.
The drone attacks did not only affect Sochi Airport, but also extended to Krasnodar Krai and the republic of Adygea. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported the shooting down of 41 Ukrainian drones over Kuban and the Black Sea. Specifically, 11 drones were shot down over Kuban, and another 30 were shot down over the Black Sea.
The airport temporarily halted incoming and outgoing flights as a result of the drone attacks. However, flight restrictions were only imposed at Volgograd Airport overnight on August 31, and no attack on Krasnodar Krai was mentioned in the morning report on August 31.
Local media reported the airport's warning about possible flight cancellations and delays in the next 48 hours. The rescheduling due to previous restrictions led to new delays on both domestic and international routes. Airlines such as Aeroflot and Pobeda have rescheduled or delayed their flights as a result of the disruptions.
As of now, 24 flights are currently delayed for departure, and 30 are delayed for arrival at Sochi Airport. The operational headquarters reported damage to one of the technological units at the Krasnodar Oil Refinery. This incident follows another drone attack on August 28 that disrupted around 60 flights.
Despite the challenges, authorities are working to address the issues and restore normal operations as soon as possible. Passengers are advised to check their flight status regularly and to allow extra time for travel to and from the airport.
