In the early hours of 31 January–1 February 2026, Poland’s Operational Command issued an emergency NOTAM that closed a swath of airspace above the Podlaskie Voivodeship after military radar detected unidentified, slow-moving objects drifting in from neighbouring Belarus. Investigators later assessed the objects to be helium-filled “smuggling balloons” carrying contraband cigarettes—a low-tech tactic that Polish and NATO officials increasingly describe as a form of hybrid warfare.
Although no commercial aircraft were endangered, the three-hour closure forced LOT, Ryanair and several cargo operators to reroute around the restricted zone. Warsaw–Vilnius and Warsaw–Helsinki services reported delays of up to 25 minutes and additional fuel burn. Business-travel coordinators should expect further short-notice disruptions on routes that skirt Poland’s eastern frontier and build extra connection time into itineraries during the winter high-pressure season, when winds make balloon launches easier.
To help mitigate the administrative ripple effects of sudden rerouting, VisaHQ offers a one-stop portal for checking and securing any additional visas or transit permits travellers might need. Via its Poland page (https://www.visahq.com/poland/), the service delivers real-time requirement updates, rapid e-visa processing and door-to-door passport courier options, ensuring that staff and cargo can keep moving even when flight paths change overnight.
![Poland shuts part of northeastern airspace after Belarusian balloon incursion]()
The incident is the second airspace alert in a week and comes against the backdrop of more than 220 balloon incursions recorded in 2025. Poland has responded by deploying anti-drone radar, expanding electronic sensors along its 418-km Belarusian border, and fast-tracking legislation that will allow the armed forces to down unidentified aerial objects inside a 5-km border buffer.
For corporate mobility teams, the practical implications are twofold. First, travel policies should include contingency clauses for rerouting and overnight accommodation when NOTAMs are issued without warning. Second, companies moving time-critical freight through Warsaw Chopin or Rzeszów–Jasionka airports may wish to diversify routings via Prague or Vienna until regional air-defence protocols stabilise.
Longer term, experts warn that what began as contraband-carrying balloons could evolve into surveillance or even weaponised payloads. As a result, Poland is lobbying the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for a unified response framework that would allow neighbouring Lithuania and Latvia to mirror Polish airspace closures in real time, minimising knock-on delays across the Baltic corridor.
Although no commercial aircraft were endangered, the three-hour closure forced LOT, Ryanair and several cargo operators to reroute around the restricted zone. Warsaw–Vilnius and Warsaw–Helsinki services reported delays of up to 25 minutes and additional fuel burn. Business-travel coordinators should expect further short-notice disruptions on routes that skirt Poland’s eastern frontier and build extra connection time into itineraries during the winter high-pressure season, when winds make balloon launches easier.
To help mitigate the administrative ripple effects of sudden rerouting, VisaHQ offers a one-stop portal for checking and securing any additional visas or transit permits travellers might need. Via its Poland page (https://www.visahq.com/poland/), the service delivers real-time requirement updates, rapid e-visa processing and door-to-door passport courier options, ensuring that staff and cargo can keep moving even when flight paths change overnight.
The incident is the second airspace alert in a week and comes against the backdrop of more than 220 balloon incursions recorded in 2025. Poland has responded by deploying anti-drone radar, expanding electronic sensors along its 418-km Belarusian border, and fast-tracking legislation that will allow the armed forces to down unidentified aerial objects inside a 5-km border buffer.
For corporate mobility teams, the practical implications are twofold. First, travel policies should include contingency clauses for rerouting and overnight accommodation when NOTAMs are issued without warning. Second, companies moving time-critical freight through Warsaw Chopin or Rzeszów–Jasionka airports may wish to diversify routings via Prague or Vienna until regional air-defence protocols stabilise.
Longer term, experts warn that what began as contraband-carrying balloons could evolve into surveillance or even weaponised payloads. As a result, Poland is lobbying the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for a unified response framework that would allow neighbouring Lithuania and Latvia to mirror Polish airspace closures in real time, minimising knock-on delays across the Baltic corridor.
