Day: May 29, 2025

A Tashkent-Moscow passenger flight was forced to make an emergency landing in the Russian city of Kazan early Tuesday morning after a drone attack near Moscow led to a temporary closure of all the capital’s airports. The incident was reported by the Russian Telegram news channel Ostorozhno, Novosti.

Aeroflot flight SU1871 departed Tashkent at approximately 3:00 a.m. (local time) on May 28. Unable to land in Moscow due to the shutdown of the capital’s airspace, the plane was diverted to Kazan, arriving there at 4:55 a.m.

Passengers told Ostorozhno, Novosti they remained confined inside the aircraft for hours with no updates on when they would be allowed to continue their journey. “We were not given snacks, and no one told us what was going on,” said one passenger. “We heard the airspace is now open, but we’re still waiting.”

Initially, there were reports that passengers would disembark in Kazan, but airline staff later instructed them to stay onboard pending further guidance. Eventually, travelers were informed their flight would be delayed for at least 12 more hours.

Aeroflot representatives claimed crew fatigue as the reason for the delay, noting the crew had exceeded their regulated working hours and required rest. Additionally, Kazan airport authorities reportedly refused to permit passenger disembarkation due to overcrowding, causing further delays and confusion.

A Broader Pattern of Risk

The diversion follows another major aviation incident in the region just five months ago. On December 25, 2024, an Azerbaijani Embraer 190 aircraft traveling from Baku to the Russian city of Grozny crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, during what authorities suspect was a drone-related incident. The crash killed all 38 people on board, including both pilots.

Russia claimed that Ukrainian drones were active in the area at the time. Although Russian President Vladimir Putin offered condolences and apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, he did not acknowledge that the aircraft may have been struck by Russian fire.

Kazakhstan is leading the investigation, supported by experts from Azerbaijan, Russia, and Brazil, the aircraft’s manufacturer. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a United Nations agency based in Canada, is also participating.

Preliminary findings from the crash investigation align with early witness accounts and include data recovered from the plane’s black boxes, which were analyzed in Brazil.

Mounting Safety Concerns

These incidents have heightened concerns about the safety of civilian aviation in the region, particularly as drone warfare intensifies in areas adjacent to Central Asia. Both airlines and passengers are urging governments to adopt stronger safety protocols and to be more transparent in communicating risks and responses during emergencies.