Drone activity shuts Saratov Airport, delays Yerevan flight

Flights from Yerevan to Saratov were repeatedly delayed on Saturday after Russia’s Saratov Gagarin Airport was closed due to drone activity in the region. Passengers in Yerevan said they had been waiting for more than three hours without clear information from Shirak Avia, the airline operating the route.

The flight, scheduled to depart at 10:15 a.m., was postponed several times, with travelers uncertain whether the aircraft would eventually fly to Saratov or be diverted elsewhere. “Every half hour they announce another delay. We don’t know if we will fly at all,” one passenger told Panorama.am.

Saratovnews.ru reported that the airport had suspended arrivals and departures after the Russian air defense forces intercepted multiple Ukrainian drones overnight. According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, 77 drones were destroyed across several regions, including three over Saratov, five over neighboring Samara and others over Volgograd, Voronezh, Kursk, Rostov, Belgorod, Krasnodar, Crimea and the Azov Sea.

Authorities said the restrictions at Gagarin Airport were introduced to ensure flight safety. It remained unclear when operations would resume.