Pilots planning to operate in the Paris terminal area this afternoon have been warned to stay clear of a newly issued temporary prohibited area, or ZIT, activated from 14:00 to 22:00 local time on 25 September. NOTAM R2716/26, published in the 04:05 UTC pre-flight bulletin, establishes a 1.6-nautical-mile circle around the Stade de France at surface-to-6 500 feet. Only IFR flights inbound to, or outbound from, Charles-de-Gaulle, Le Bourget and Orly are exempt, and even they must follow “usual ATC instructions” with possible last-minute rerouting. The Directorate-General for Civil Aviation (DGAC) says the restriction is part of the defence ministry’s air-safety mission for Pope Leon XIV’s evening prayer service in the national stadium. Drone operations, captive balloons and model aircraft are explicitly banned; any exemption requires real-time authorisation from the C2A2 air-activity coordination cell. Business-aviation handlers at Le Bourget report that slots after 13:30 have been frozen, forcing corporate flight departments to re-schedule arrivals either before the cutoff or reposition to provincial airports such as Lille or Lyon. Airlines are less affected, but may experience extended vectoring on approach, adding fuel costs and potential delays. The French airspace measure follows a pattern seen during recent papal trips to Portugal and Canada, underlining a trend toward fast-moving, security-driven air-restrictions that give operators only 24 hours’ notice. Travel managers should monitor NOTAM feeds closely and ensure that executive itineraries include contingency ground transport from secondary airports. Failure to comply with the ZIT carries penalties under Article L6232-12 of the Transport Code, ranging from €15 000 fines to the immobilisation of aircraft—risks that far outweigh the cost of diversion.
