After Warsaw shot down 19 Russian drones over its territory with the support of NATO aircraft, additional safety measures have been adopted by the civil aviation authorities. At the request of the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command, a restricted zone has been active since Wednesday evening in the eastern part of the countryon the borders of Ukraine and Belarus.
Between sunrise and sunset, flights are prohibited. And that's until 9 December. Nevertheless aircraft with a flight plan, an active transponder (radar-linked device) and permanent communication with air traffic control can continue to operatesaid the Polish Air Navigation Agency. This therefore authorises scheduled commercial services.
No cancellations in Lublin and Rzeszow
In fact, the two international airports in Lublin and Rzeszowthe most easterly in Poland, publish scheduled flights in real time. No cancellations have been reported to date on either site..
Lublin remains a relatively small airport, Rzeszow has grown in importance since Russia went to war with Ukraine. The airport handled 1.14 million passengers last year. It is linked daily by LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw), Lufthansa (Munich), Ryanair and Wizz Air (London-Luton and Stansted).
The restrictions also provide for exceptions for military or special-use flights. But The expansion of no-fly zones in Europe is making it more difficult for aircraft to move around the skies over Europe. Particularly with its ever-increasing congestion. Delays are therefore foreseeable in the Central European zone adjacent to Ukraine.
Aviation and insurance experts believe that Russian drone incursions demonstrate a certain vulnerability of European civil aviation. With all the consequences in terms of flight operating and insurance costs…
