Flights to Pulkovo International Airport Saint Petersburgwhich were temporarily suspended earlier today, have resumed, with airspace within a 200-kilometer radius around him reopening around 12:00 (local time; 11:00 Greek time), according to Russian news agencies and data from the specialized website FlightRadar24.

The municipal authorities of St. Petersburg shortly before announced on Telegram the temporary closure of the airport for all flights, without explaining the reasons.

Unidentified flying object reports

Russian news agency RIA reported, citing a source close to the city’s emergency services, that an unidentified flying object had been sighted, leading to the closure of the airport. The same information was previously reported by the Russian news site Baza, adding that the pursuers hurried to take off.

Russian media reported that the planes sent to search and intercept the object did not find anything on the spot.

So far, there has been no official explanation as to what caused the problem or how the “unknown” object was discovered.

Flights to St. Petersburg, among the five departing from Moscow, turned around and returned around 11:00 am (local time; 10:00 am Greek time) after the initial circling. The airspace closure also affected flights to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, which must pass through the airspace of St. Petersburg.

^{Source: Reuters, APE-MEB.}