airspace closed: part of the airspace over Podlaskie Voivodeship (restrictions for civil aviation)
Poland / 2026-01-30-pl-1
airspace incident: airspace over Podlaskie Voivodeship, along the border with Belarus (2026-01-30)
/ date of the event
What happened
On the night of 30 to 31 January 2026 military radar systems registered objects entering Polish airspace from the direction of Belarus, which the Operational Command of the Armed Forces assessed from their flight parameters as most likely balloons drifting with the weather; the Border Guard said they were probably smuggling balloons. To ensure safety, temporary restrictions on the use of part of the airspace over Podlaskie Voivodeship were introduced for civil aviation, described by the command as precautionary and in line with procedures; the statement gives neither the hours of the restrictions nor the number of objects. The command called the event another in a series of hybrid incidents in eastern Poland and recorded no threat to airspace security. It was the first of three consecutive nights of balloon incursions. Who launched the balloons has not been established.
Responsibility and limits of the evidence
not assessed
Nobody has yet assessed responsibility for this record. Not assessed is not the same as not established.
Impact
- killed
- not established
- injured
- not established
- damage
- not established
No casualties reported.
Sources
- Naruszenie polskiej przestrzeni powietrznej. Pilny komunikat wojska
Polsat News (za komunikatem DORSZ na X i komunikatem Straży Granicznej) / 2026-01-31 / secondary source
supports: the record, that it happened, the date, the disruption
- Smuggling balloons from Belarus keep closing Polish airspace (placemark source)
Associated Press / secondary source
supports: the record