Since the beginning of September, Poland has been taking significant steps to restrict air traffic in its airspace along its eastern border. According to a statement from the country’s Operational Command, this decision is linked to ongoing tensions in the region.
From 10 September to 9 December, a new restricted airspace zone, EP R134, will be in force in eastern Poland. It will cover an area up to an altitude of approximately 3 kilometres, meaning that regular passenger flights operating at higher altitudes will not be affected. However, the new zone will be larger than the previous one — EP R131 — and will cover areas along the borders with Ukraine and Belarus.
At night, from sunset to sunrise, flights within the EP R134 zone will be completely prohibited. The only exceptions will be military aircraft and flights from Depultychi-Korolevske Airport, which will be coordinated with the Air Operations Centre. During the day, the restrictions will be somewhat less stringent: flights by military aircraft and civilian drones will be permitted, provided they do not cross the air defence identification zones of neighbouring countries.
The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency has introduced these measures at the request of the Operational Command to ensure the security of the country’s airspace. The introduction of these restrictions is justified by the need to protect Poland’s air defence system in light of the complex situation in neighbouring Ukraine.
The incident involving a missile that fell in the Lublin Voivodeship at the end of July highlights the relevance of the measures taken. At that time, during a massive attack on Ukraine, a Russian Kh-101 missile violated Polish airspace, raising serious safety concerns. This incident was likely one of the factors that prompted the Polish authorities to tighten control over the airspace in the east of the country.