Polish airspace now open after Russian drone incursion but Belarus border restricted

Poland’s airspace has reopened after closing temporarily due to an incursion by 19 Russian drones in the early hours of 10 September 2025. The incident saw Dutch F-35 fighter jets scrambled by NATO to help Poland intercept and shoot down the Russian craft, which went as far as 300 km inside Polish borders.

Flights at the country’s busiest airport, Warsaw Chopin, as well as three others (Warsaw Modlin, Rzeszow-Jasionka and Lublin) were all suspended as a result of the incident. As well as the cancellation and grounding of some flights to Poland, including Austrian Airlines’ Vienna route, Finnair’s Helsinki service, KLM from Amsterdam, and Qatar Airways from Doha, at least 13 other flights had to be diverted, with Air China, Enter Air, LOT, Ryanair, and Wizz passengers among those disrupted.

Warsaw Chopin Airport is open to passengers but the airspace over the airport is closed so no flights can take off. The first flight was scheduled for 05:30 local time. Latest NOTAM indicates that the airspace will open at 07:30 local time. pic.twitter.com/epRv71v3Ks

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) September 10, 2025

Dozens of others face ongoing delays as schedules recover. Operator Polish Airports warned: “Due to the situation related to the restrictions and prior closure of the airspace, disruptions and delays are to be expected, which may last throughout the day.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the events as “serious,” noting that it “is the first time Russian drones have been shot down over the territory of a NATO country.” It is not, however, the first time Russia has invaded Polish airspace in recent years. A Polish businessperson living in Brussels whose family live close to the Poland-Russia border told Travel Tomorrow that Russia has repeatedly flown drones into Poland in a test of both its defences and those of the European Union that he believes will soon escalate further.

Last night the Polish airspace was violated by a huge number of Russian drones. Those drones that posed a direct threat were shot down. I am in constant communication with the Secretary General of NATO and our allies.

— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) September 10, 2025

The continual “provocation” has “not been widely reported in the European media, but everyone is talking about it and expecting war in Poland,” he said. The Pole, who did not wish to be identified, also accused Russia of using migrants entering through Poland’s Belarus border as spies.

Following the most recent and massive breach of its airspace, Poland’s Armed Forces Operational Command has told the Polish Air Navigation Agency to restrict access along its eastern borders with Belarus and Ukraine, according to a Foreign Ministry announcement. This means a total ban on flights in the restricted EP R129 zone, except for approved military operations. Unmanned civilian aircraft are also prohibited.

The United Kingdom updated its Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) guidance for Poland twice on 11 September, adding “information about the temporary closure of Poland’s border with Belarus” and removing “information about potential air travel disruptions.” No warning against going to Poland was issued, meaning travellers are unlikely to be able to claim on insurance if they choose to change their plans.

Neither the US State Department nor the Canadian government have yet updated their travel advisories for Poland. At the time of writing, the US rates Poland at its safest advisory level (1), which means “Exercise Normal Precautions.”