Poland bans drone flights, limits small air traffic along eastern border

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WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland has banned drone flights and introduced restrictions affecting mostly small, non-commercial air traffic along its eastern borders with Belarus and Ukraine following this week’s drone incursions into its airspace.

The restrictions, which do not affect passenger traffic, went into force at 2200 GMT on Wednesday and apply through December 9, the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) said in a statement.

General aviation, mainly small and recreational aircraft and helicopters, can operate during the day provided they have a radio and transponder, but cannot fly at night, PANSA said.

Flights will be permitted only up to a height of about 3 km (1.86 miles) above ground level, it said. Commercial flights usually fly at altitudes over 3 km above the ground.

Poland shot down what it said were Russian drones in its airspace on Wednesday, with the backing of aircraft from its NATO allies, as Russian forces attacked neighboring Ukraine. The incursion by the drones has caused new safety concerns.

“At the request of the Operational Command of the Branches of the Armed Forces … air traffic restrictions will be introduced in the eastern part of Poland in the form of the restricted zone EP R129”, PANSA said.

“These restrictions do not apply to passenger aviation, as the restriction level is FL095, which is the zone from the ground to approximately 3 km above. The zone extends from 26 to 46 km inland, depending on the location.”

PANSA said that under the restriction, flights in the restricted zone were permitted from sunrise to sunset only by crewed aircraft operating in accordance with a flight plan with appropriate transponders and maintaining two-way communication with air authorities.

The tightened rules also permit military flights and some additional special-purpose flights and call signs, it said.

A senior Russian diplomat in Poland said the drones had come from the direction of Ukraine. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its drones had carried out an attack in western Ukraine, but it had not planned to hit any targets in Poland.

(Reporting by Karol Badohal and Barbara Erling in Warsaw; Additional reporting by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Timothy Heritage)