Polish aviation authorities will reopen the restricted airspace zone EP R129 at 23:59 on 10 December, ending a three-month night-flight prohibition along the country’s 250-kilometre frontier with Belarus and Ukraine. The ban had been imposed on 10 September after a wave of Russian drones briefly violated NATO airspace, prompting Warsaw to shut the corridor to civilian traffic and reroute dozens of scheduled services.
During the closure, LOT, Wizz Air and several Middle-East carriers were forced to detour around the zone, adding up to 25 minutes flying time and millions of zlotys in extra fuel and crew costs.
Business-aviation operators serving defence contractors in Rzeszów and Lublin reported a 30 percent drop in charter demand as late-evening slots disappeared. The lifting of restrictions is expected to normalise schedules, trim insurance surcharges and reopen critical medevac and cargo options for companies moving staff and equipment to eastern Poland.
![Poland Lifts Night-Flight Ban on Eastern Border, Restoring Key Air Corridors]()
For multinational crews and passengers navigating the reopening, VisaHQ’s Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) can simplify the visa and travel-document requirements that may have shifted during the three-month detour. The platform supplies real-time entry guidance and expedited processing, allowing travel planners to sync paperwork with the freshly restored night-flight schedules.
Security officials caution that the corridor could be re-closed at 24 hours’ notice should the drone threat re-emerge. NATO has quietly expanded radar coverage in the Suwałki Gap and deployed additional Patriot batteries, signalling greater confidence in layered air-defence capabilities. Employers with personnel in border voivodeships are advised to keep travel advisories under review and ensure duty-of-care tools reflect the restored night traffic.
For global-mobility teams, the immediate upside is logistical: more evening arrivals into Lublin Airport, predictable lay-out times for shipments transiting Warsaw hub airports, and renewed access to humanitarian charter slots. Companies should liaise with travel providers to revert to pre-September routings and renegotiate war-risk premiums now that the corridor is back on stream.
During the closure, LOT, Wizz Air and several Middle-East carriers were forced to detour around the zone, adding up to 25 minutes flying time and millions of zlotys in extra fuel and crew costs.
Business-aviation operators serving defence contractors in Rzeszów and Lublin reported a 30 percent drop in charter demand as late-evening slots disappeared. The lifting of restrictions is expected to normalise schedules, trim insurance surcharges and reopen critical medevac and cargo options for companies moving staff and equipment to eastern Poland.
For multinational crews and passengers navigating the reopening, VisaHQ’s Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) can simplify the visa and travel-document requirements that may have shifted during the three-month detour. The platform supplies real-time entry guidance and expedited processing, allowing travel planners to sync paperwork with the freshly restored night-flight schedules.
Security officials caution that the corridor could be re-closed at 24 hours’ notice should the drone threat re-emerge. NATO has quietly expanded radar coverage in the Suwałki Gap and deployed additional Patriot batteries, signalling greater confidence in layered air-defence capabilities. Employers with personnel in border voivodeships are advised to keep travel advisories under review and ensure duty-of-care tools reflect the restored night traffic.
For global-mobility teams, the immediate upside is logistical: more evening arrivals into Lublin Airport, predictable lay-out times for shipments transiting Warsaw hub airports, and renewed access to humanitarian charter slots. Companies should liaise with travel providers to revert to pre-September routings and renegotiate war-risk premiums now that the corridor is back on stream.
