Polish airports near Ukraine border halt operations for third day as Russian strikes continue
On the morning of 18 September, airports in Rzeszów and Lublin in southeastern Poland suspended operations amid Russian attacks on Ukraine. Polish fighter jets were scrambled in response. It was the third consecutive day that the two airports had halted air traffic because of Russian strikes on Ukraine.
Key points
- Airports in Rzeszów and Lublin suspended operations on the morning of 18 September
- Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) announced the suspension
- Polish Air Force fighter jets were scrambled amid the Russian attacks
- Operations resumed at approximately 08:45 local time, per PANSA
- This was the third day in a row the two airports halted air traffic due to Russian strikes on Ukraine
- On 17 September, Polish PM Donald Tusk reported a Russian strike drone fell near the Polish border in Volyn Oblast
- A Polish Armed Forces Operational Command spokesperson said a drone most likely fell or was shot down 4 km from the Polish-Ukrainian border
Why it matters
The repeated halts at two Polish airports near the Ukrainian border show that the spillover effects of Russian strikes on western Ukraine are directly disrupting civilian aviation in a NATO country. The scrambling of Polish fighter jets signals heightened military readiness along the frontier.
What happened
On the morning of 18 September, the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) announced via its X (Twitter) account that airports in Rzeszów and Lublin had suspended air traffic amid Russian attacks on Ukraine. Polish Air Force fighter jets were scrambled in response. PANSA later reported that operations resumed at both airports at approximately 08:45 local time. The suspension was the third in three days for the two southeastern Polish airports, following similar halts on 16 and 17 September tied to Russian drone strikes on Ukrainian oblasts.
Background
On 17 September, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reported that a Russian strike drone fell near the Polish border in Volyn Oblast. A Polish Armed Forces Operational Command spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Jacek Goryszewski, said the drone most likely fell or was shot down 4 km from the Polish-Ukrainian border. On 16 September, Polish fighter jets were scrambled and an air-raid alert was declared in Polish border regions after a Russian drone attack on Ukrainian oblasts, and the same two airports suspended operations that day as well.