Forest-fire smog choking Moscow disrupts flights
Date: 10-Sep-02
Country: RUSSIA
Interfax news agency said flights at Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports in Moscow were delayed in the first half of the day, but were back on schedule by Sunday afternoon. Both airports operate international and domestic flights.
A spokesman at Sheremetyevo airport, Moscow's main international gateway, said flights there continued as normal.
Domodedovo's duty manager told RIA news agency that the decision to fly had been left up to the aircraft captains in several cases.
"Because of the thick fog the airport was hardly working from 9 a.m. (0500 GMT)," the duty manager said.
Thick smoke, which has blotted out the Kremlin spires and other Moscow landmarks over the last week and crept into homes, offices and metro stations, is spewing out from hundreds of fires in forests and peat bogs on the city's eastern fringes.
Doctors have advised those vulnerable to the smog - children, pregnant women and people suffering from respiratory problems or heart defects - to stay indoors and keep their doors and windows closed.
Thousands of fire-fighters have been battling the blazes, which are raging after one of the hottest summers on record.
Medical officials have assured Muscovites that there is no lasting danger to those in good health despite the fact carbon monoxide levels are well above normal.
