Nearly 34,000 of the 69,200 flights listed on Russian airport departure boards between October 1 and 30 were delayed or canceled, according to Aviatorshchina's own analysis of 50 Russian and foreign airlines. About 35,500 flights, or 51.3% of the sample, departed on schedule.
The analysis found that 30,700 flights, or 44.4%, departed late, while approximately 3,000, or 4.4%, were canceled. The outlet counted a departure as on time if it took place no more than 15 minutes after its scheduled time. The figures and percentages are rounded.
The sample included 22 Russian and 28 foreign airlines, each with data for more than 100 flights over the period examined. For foreign carriers, only flights at Russian airports were counted. October 31 was excluded, so the findings cannot automatically be generalized to the full month or to all flights nationwide.
Aviatorshchina's breakdown showed on-time departure rates of 51.1% for the Russian carriers and 52.2% for the foreign carriers in its sample. The figures were 15.3% for Pobeda and 77.2% for IrAero. All these percentages reflect the outlet's sample and its definition of punctuality.
Separately, the RunAvia project, cited by Aviatorshchina, counted 495 temporary flight restrictions across 49 airports in October, totaling 2,092 airport-hours. According to that tally, the number of restrictions was 27% higher than in September and their total duration was up 16%. Those figures describe the duration and frequency of airspace restrictions; they do not establish what caused each of the nearly 34,000 schedule disruptions.