Two St Petersburg-bound flights land in Helsinki after airport closure

Two flights bound for St Petersburg landed at Helsinki Airport after the Russian city’s airport temporarily closed, Yle reports.

The flights were Turkish Airlines flight TK403 and AlMasria United Airlines flight UJ771, the Finnish Gulf of Finland Coast Guard said on X. The aircraft continued their journeys after refuelling, the Coast Guard said.

Air traffic at St Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport was temporarily suspended shortly after midnight local time, Russian media outlet Fontanka reported.

Leningrad Region Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said earlier on Telegram that Russian air defences had shot down 146 drones in the region overnight.