Airlines and corporate travel managers received welcome news on 9 December: the restricted airspace zone EP R129, imposed on 10 September after multiple Russian drone incursions, is scheduled to lift at 23:59 local time. The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) confirmed the end date in its latest NOTAM, restoring normal civil operations along the borders with Belarus and Ukraine.
During the three-month restriction, most civil aircraft were barred from night flights in a 250-kilometre-long corridor, forcing carriers such as LOT and Wizz Air to reroute services from Warsaw to the Middle East and Asia and lengthening flight times by up to 25 minutes. Business aviation operators reported a 30 percent drop in charter requests to Rzeszów and Lublin, hubs that serve defence contractors supplying Ukraine.
![Night-Flight Ban Along Poland’s Eastern Border Expires at Midnight]()
The lifting of EP R129 is expected to reduce fuel burn and scheduling complexity, though PANSA cautioned that the zone could be re-activated on 24-hours’ notice if drone threats re-emerge. Insurers may also maintain war-risk surcharges until the security situation stabilises.
For global mobility teams relocating staff to eastern Poland, the change means more evening arrival slots at Lublin Airport and easier medevac options. Companies should revise travel advisories and update duty-of-care tracking tools to reflect the restored air corridors.
Analysts note that the timing coincides with NATO moves to enhance radar coverage in the Suwałki Gap, suggesting that the government now feels confident enough in layered air defences to resume normal traffic.
During the three-month restriction, most civil aircraft were barred from night flights in a 250-kilometre-long corridor, forcing carriers such as LOT and Wizz Air to reroute services from Warsaw to the Middle East and Asia and lengthening flight times by up to 25 minutes. Business aviation operators reported a 30 percent drop in charter requests to Rzeszów and Lublin, hubs that serve defence contractors supplying Ukraine.
The lifting of EP R129 is expected to reduce fuel burn and scheduling complexity, though PANSA cautioned that the zone could be re-activated on 24-hours’ notice if drone threats re-emerge. Insurers may also maintain war-risk surcharges until the security situation stabilises.
For global mobility teams relocating staff to eastern Poland, the change means more evening arrival slots at Lublin Airport and easier medevac options. Companies should revise travel advisories and update duty-of-care tracking tools to reflect the restored air corridors.
Analysts note that the timing coincides with NATO moves to enhance radar coverage in the Suwałki Gap, suggesting that the government now feels confident enough in layered air defences to resume normal traffic.
