Poland’s defence ministry has issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM) and temporarily raised its air-defence readiness following a confirmed Russian helicopter incursion near Braniewo on 23 September. The decision, reported by News.net on 26 September 2026, includes the activation of additional Patriot batteries and closer coordination with the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA). While the violation lasted only 42 seconds, officials say it underscores persistent risks to civil-aviation corridors linking Warsaw Chopin Airport with northern European hubs. PANSA has advised carriers to expect short-notice re-routing of north-bound departures should radar tracks approach the 12-nautical-mile limit. LOT Polish Airlines told investors that the contingency could raise fuel burn by up to 2 % on selected Amsterdam and Copenhagen rotations but will not affect schedules. For corporate travel managers the main takeaway is to build extra buffer time into itineraries through 30 September, when the current NOTAM expires. Insurance underwriters have so far kept Poland’s airspace at risk category 2 (moderate), far below Ukraine’s category 5, but say another incident could trigger premium surcharges. The episode also feeds into a broader debate over Schengen air-border resilience. Warsaw is lobbying for EU funding to install Wide-Area Multilateration sensors along the Kaliningrad frontier, a move that would give air-traffic controllers earlier warning of unidentified aircraft. A decision is expected in the next Connecting Europe Facility call.
Source: News.net
