A disruption hit the Russian Leonardo automated reservation system, complicating flight bookings and check-ins across several carriers and routes. The impact was felt in airports where check-in processes slowed and manual procedures took over in some cases.
Aeroflot publicly acknowledged a global failure in the Leonardo reservation network, reporting difficulties with check-in across its route network. The issue was communicated as affecting airport operations and passenger processing, prompting airlines to adapt as best as possible during the outage.
Low-cost carrier Pobeda noted that because some check-in steps were handled manually, travelers were advised to arrive at the airport earlier than usual to ensure a smoother start to their journeys. In addition, other Russian airlines faced related service interruptions during the same period, including Rossiya Airlines, Red Wings, Ural Airlines and SmartAvia.
Data from the Yandex Schedules service indicated that by the afternoon of a given day, dozens of flights were either delayed or canceled at the capital’s airports, underscoring the scale of the disruption for travelers and staff alike.
At Sheremetyevo International Airport, officials stated that passengers were immediately informed about delayed departures. They noted that partial passenger registration was maintained through backup channels, enabling a degree of continued movement through terminals under operational conditions. The aim was to minimize congestion while keeping flights moving where possible.
Some travelers reported longer queues and shifted connections. For instance, travelers scheduled to fly from Moscow to Stavropol faced delays and were reassigned to later services. There were occasions when flights departed with only a portion of the booked passengers aboard, highlighting the operational strain on the day of the outage.
Root cause and official responses
At Rostec facilities where the Leonardo system is developed, experts stated that the instrumentality of the Leonardo flight ticketing system had to be refreshed after the incident. Officials indicated that the problem was resolved and that normal check-in operations resumed across the network.
Air carriers confirmed that normal service had returned and that the registration process at airports within the airlines’ networks had stabilized after the outage. A statement from Aeroflot echoed the official recovery, noting that the restored system restored standard check-in and boarding processes for affected routes.
Subsequent communications highlighted that Leonardo has faced multiple cyber attempts in recent months. Rostec representatives noted that several attacks had occurred in September alone, emphasizing that the scale and resource use of these attempts marked a new level of online aggression aimed at Russia’s IT infrastructure and essential services.
Resilience measures and ongoing operations
Leonardo remains a Russian flight reservation platform developed by the Sirena-Travel company in collaboration with Rostec. The project began in 2011, with a first deployment in 2014, and rapidly became central to domestic airline operations. Pobeda joined the system in June of a later year, with Aeroflot following in October, integrating the platform into its reservation and check-in workflows.
Officials describe Leonardo as adaptable to the needs of each carrier, with enhanced information security features and a focus on maintaining uninterrupted service for the Russian air transport sector even when external systems are unavailable. This stance reflects a broader strategy to safeguard essential travel infrastructure against outages and cyber threats, ensuring continuity for passengers and operators alike and sustaining critical connectivity within the region.
As the sector modernizes, the emphasis remains on robust incident response, rapid recovery, and transparent communications with travelers when disruptions occur. Industry observers note that the Leonardo system is central to domestic air travel resilience, enabling airlines to manage bookings, seat assignments, and check-ins during challenging periods while continuing to support international linkage and domestic mobility across major hubs.
In summary, the outage exposed the dependency of modern air travel on centralized reservation systems and the necessity for strong cyber defenses. The sector responds with improved security, redundant processes, and clear passenger communication to minimize the impact when such events arise, maintaining confidence in air travel through uncertainty and ensuring smoother operations in the future. [Citation: Rostec press notes and airline statements.]