What to do if a flight is diverted to another airport: a Nizhny Novgorod woman's personal experience

      October 20, 2025, 11:55 Society NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" - Polina Zubova

      Residents of Nizhny Novgorod are no longer surprised by temporary restrictions at Chkalov Airport, during which the airspace is temporarily closed and flights are diverted to nearby alternate airports. But what should you do if your plane cannot land at its destination?

      A reader of NIA "Nizhny Novgorod," Irina, was returning from Yerevan to Nizhny Novgorod, but she could not reach her hometown at the scheduled time — the plane made an emergency landing in Kazan. She shared her experience and described how the unscheduled stop went and what passengers should do in such situations.

      Passengers were informed that the flight had been diverted to Kazan only after landing. The flight attendants were unprepared for the situation and did not know what to say.

      "Welcome to Kazan. We were told this after landing. We flew for an extra hour or so, and there was a feeling that something was wrong, but no one said anything. We were about 15–20 minutes from Nizhny when they announced 'Kover.' The flight was scheduled to arrive at 01:45; the aircraft began to land a little after one — apparently they wanted to make it in time. But they didn’t," the Nizhny resident shared.

      In Kazan, passengers went through customs control, after which they were given their baggage. A representative of the airline appeared fairly quickly and began coordinating further actions.

      Passengers were given water and later meal vouchers worth 350 rubles. Those who decided to stay and wait for the flight to Nizhny Novgorod waited for re-check-in and for the airspace to reopen. Luggage storage was available but charged (the airline paid for it). Hotel accommodation is provided in the event of a delay of more than six hours.

      By that time only one café was open at the airport. Despite their fatigue, most passengers remained calm. About a third of the passengers decided not to wait for the departure and to make their own way.

      After the restrictions were lifted, re-check-in for the flight began. It was carried out according to the standard procedure, as for a normal departure. A representative of the airline supervised boarding. The crew stayed at a hotel during the delay but were ready to depart as soon as the airport reopened.

      The flight arrived in Nizhny Novgorod at 07:45, as stated during re-check-in. Despite the abnormal situation and the large number of people, additional delays were avoided.

      The Nizhny resident noted that people do not fully understand the situation and therefore do not know how to act. She also advised taking out insurance in case a flight does not depart or other unforeseen situations occur.

      Reminder: Plan "Kover" is implemented during a possible threat of a UAV attack to ensure flight safety. Departing aircraft are redirected to other airports and flights are delayed. Such restrictions were in effect in Nizhny Novgorod on the night of October 20.

      Photos were provided by the subject of the article.

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