Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

Aircraft operators that are still using Russian airspace should be prepared for short-notice closures and reroutings, according to security experts at Osprey Flight Solutions. On Tuesday, the company issued an advisory based on increased threat levels in the wake of recent Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian air force bases as far away as Siberia.
According to Osprey, between May 20 and 29, around 1,800 drones were shot down over Russian territory, and around 500 of these were destroyed in airspace that remains open, including around the Moscow area. The company’s analysts said Russian defense forces are using surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) that can be lethal at all altitudes, posing risks in high-traffic routes.
While airlines based in North America, Europe, and some Asian countries remain excluded from Russian airspace, operators from other countries are still operating in airspace that Osprey said should now be considered at risk from air defense systems. The same risks apply to business aircraft operators who are still using Russian airspace for overflights or trips to and from Russian cities.
Osprey analysts said that the recent concentration of drone attacks has resulted in “frequent and extensive flight restrictions implemented at airports across Russia, including over 50 separate time periods at the Moscow-area airports.” The incidents of SAM deployment against drones have increasingly happened in airspace that has not been closed in relation to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine itself.
“Overall, the majority of this activity is occurring during hours of darkness,” Osprey analysts reported. “However, as evidenced by the incidents during April, May, and now June, activity causing disruption to flights is happening at all times of the day and with increased frequency.”

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