Business flyers heading into Poland’s busiest hub on 2 November encountered unexpected reroutes after air-traffic authorities declared the DVOR/DME ‘OKC’ beacon (113.45 MHz) temporarily unserviceable from 08:00 to 14:00 local time. The outage, published in NOTAM A3121/25, forced airlines to switch to secondary navigation fixes and lengthened approach patterns during the six-hour maintenance window.
According to Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) figures, 74 commercial movements—including LOT Polish Airlines’ morning banks from Frankfurt, London and New York—experienced vectoring extensions of three to six minutes. While no flights were cancelled, travellers reported tight connections at domestic gates, and several cargo operators diverted to Poznań to avoid stacking.
![Navigation Aid Shutdown at Warsaw Chopin Airport Triggers Reroutes and Minor Delays]()
Why it matters for mobility managers: Even short-term navaid maintenance can ripple through tightly scheduled day trips. Corporate travel planners should cross-check NOTAMs during Poland’s winter upgrade season, which continues through mid-December. PANSA has announced further ILS test windows on 6 and 16 November that could similarly affect arrivals.
Mitigation strategies: 1) Build at least 90 minutes’ layover into same-day connections at EPWA. 2) Encourage travellers to use airline apps that push real-time gate changes. 3) For critical-timing cargo, consider Katowice or Rzeszów as contingency airports when radio-navigation work is scheduled at Warsaw.
Long-term outlook: The outage is part of Poland’s €210 million airspace modernisation plan aligned with the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) roadmap, aimed at cutting carbon by enabling optimised descent profiles once new ground equipment is fully commissioned.
According to Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) figures, 74 commercial movements—including LOT Polish Airlines’ morning banks from Frankfurt, London and New York—experienced vectoring extensions of three to six minutes. While no flights were cancelled, travellers reported tight connections at domestic gates, and several cargo operators diverted to Poznań to avoid stacking.
Why it matters for mobility managers: Even short-term navaid maintenance can ripple through tightly scheduled day trips. Corporate travel planners should cross-check NOTAMs during Poland’s winter upgrade season, which continues through mid-December. PANSA has announced further ILS test windows on 6 and 16 November that could similarly affect arrivals.
Mitigation strategies: 1) Build at least 90 minutes’ layover into same-day connections at EPWA. 2) Encourage travellers to use airline apps that push real-time gate changes. 3) For critical-timing cargo, consider Katowice or Rzeszów as contingency airports when radio-navigation work is scheduled at Warsaw.
Long-term outlook: The outage is part of Poland’s €210 million airspace modernisation plan aligned with the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) roadmap, aimed at cutting carbon by enabling optimised descent profiles once new ground equipment is fully commissioned.
