VFR flight to Poland – Polska Agencja Żeglugi Powietrznej – PAŻP, odpowiada za bezpieczeństwo ruchu lotniczego w polskiej przestrzeni powietrznej.

VFR flight to Poland

1. Map for VFR flight

A pilot is obliged to prepare the flight by making himself familiar with the Polish airspace by using the ICAO map for VFR flights.

It should be noted that, in addition to permanent zones

CTR [Control Zone]
TMA [Terminal Control Area]
MCTR[Military Control Zone],
MTMA [Military Terminal Control Area]
EP R [Restricted area – note that in Poland all Restricted areas are permanent],
EP P [Prohibited area],
ADIZ [Air Defence Identification Zone])

there are flexible areas such as

TSA [Temporary Segregated Area],
TRA [Temporary Reserved Area],
MRT [Military Route],
EP D [Danger area],
ATZ [Aerodrome Traffic Zone]

which can be activated according to order published in Airspace Use Plan (AUP).
TRA, ATZ allow all the pilots the possibility of flying through also when they are active. The condition is, however, to get approval at least just before entering that area.
TSA, MRT, EP R should be absolutely avoided.
It is necessary to make sure that you prepare your flight using the latest version of the ICAO map. You are also required to have this map with you during the flight. Once a year, the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency issues a printed 1:500000 ICAO map for VFR flights. This usually occurs at the turn of April and May, shortly after the introduction of changes in the airspace planned for a year.

2. Airspace Use Plan – AUP

On a stage of flight planning it is possible to check Airspace Use Plan (AUP) by visiting Airspace Management Centre webpage www.amc.pansa.pl. The service allows to gain basic knowledge about restrictions in the airspace planned for the current day and the following day.

On the webpage AUP is available in two forms:
– in a text form – under the “AUP/UUP” tab,
– in a graphical form – under the “MAPY” tab.

3. Contact with ASM-3

The recommended way of checking the accessibility of airspace is calling ASM-3 (Airspace Management department of PANSA).
After providing flight details (the airport of departure and destination, turning points, planned: altitude of a flight, take off and landing time), an analysis will be carried out, taking into account the latest confirmation or cancellation of ordered zones. The result will be given within few minutes by phone.
The service is available in Polish and English.
Please note that one cannot file a flight plan with ASM-3 (you do it with ARO – see below)

ASM-3 phone number: +48 22 574 57 33

4. AIP

In Poland there are 3 kinds of AIP:

AIP Poland
AIP MIL
AIP VFR

You should be aware that some of the flexible zones visible in AUP or listed by ASM-3 are not presented on the VFR ICAO map. In particular: some TRA and TSA are usually activated for the purpose of military exercises or air sports. Information about the location of these zones and the respective limitations can be found in AIP Poland, AIP VFR or AIP MIL. These zones are published in the AIP supplements and refer to the AIP section ENR 5. Please note that the content of ENR 5 – and thus supplements to this chapter – is different in AIP Poland, AIP VFR and AIP MIL. AIP VFR is prepared as publication for VFR General Aviation pilots, AIP MIL – for military pilots and supplement 22/16 in AIP differs from supplement 22/16 in AIP VFR or AIP MIL. In AIP you can also find detailed information about:

the airports serving VFR traffic – in AIP VFR AD4,
the rules for submitting flight plans – in AIP Poland ENR 1.10. (AIP VFR ENR 1.5),
the altimeter setting procedures – in AIP Poland ENR 1.7 (AIP VFR ENR 1.4),

The contents of each AIP is available on:

the web page of PANSA (ais.pansa.pl, tab “publications”, the service is free of charge but requires registration),
the web page of EAD (ead.eurocontrol.int) provided by Eurocontrol.

5. NOTAM

A number of key issues of flight information are published in NOTAM messages. The information concerns:

navigational warnings associated with aviation activities taking place in an uncontrolled airspace,
restrictions of available airports and airstrips,
limitations of availability of navigational aids.

The sets of NOTAM messages (pre flight bulletins) for selected airports (take off, landing, alternate), and route messages to FIR Warsaw are available:

by ordering in the ARO (ATS Reporting Office) phone no. +48 22 574 71 73, Fax: +48 22 574 71 88, e-mail: aro@pansa.pl)
the web page of EAD (ead.eurocontrol.int) provided by Eurocontrol.

6. Flight plans for VFR flights

In Poland you are required to submit the flight plans for VFR flights:

if they are held (even partially) in a controlled airspace,
at night beyond the immediate proximity of an airport,
to the Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) placed in the proximity of European Union border,
that cross the border of the Polish Republic (with the exception of the Schengen group of countries that do not require flight plans for VFR international flights: Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Malmo).

In Polish airspace, it is allowed to submit flight plans during the flight (AFIL) on the frequency of Flight Information Service, whereby:

a pilot is required to provide information for all boxes of the flight plan form (it’s not possible to file an abbreviated flight plan in Poland),
it may not be feasible due to intensity of traffic on FIS radio frequency and the radio coverage at low heights.

Therefore, it is strongly recommended to submit a flight plan before a flight and then check if it has not been rejected.

In Polish airspace, it is allowed to close flight plans before landing only if the pilot foresees difficulties with closing the flight plan after landing. In accordance with the provisions of SERA, it is possible just before landing.
We strongly recommend to close a flight plan after landing. This allows the air traffic services to make sure that landing was safe. This is particularly important in relation to international flights, after which a message about landing is sent to the air traffic services of the countries through which the flight was conducted.

Please note that it is not practicable to submit sectional flight plans for a part of the route.

To file, confirm acceptance, change, delay, close flight plans please contact the ARO (ATS Reporting Office) – phone no. +48 22 574 71 73, Fax: +48 22 574 71 88, e-mail: aro@pansa.pl

Note: acceptance of a flight plan for a flight in an uncontrolled space does not mean that there is no conflict of the planned route with flexible or permanent areas of the airspace. Such an analysis (see above points 1, 2, 3) of flight plans is not executed by the ARO (ATS Reporting Office). It is the responsibility of the pilot in command.

7. IWB – everything in one place

Polish Air Navigation Services Agency is providing Integrated Web Briefing (IWB). This service integrates in one place all you have to do to prepare for a flight in Polish airspace. Pilot can check availability of airspace, information from AIP, NOTAMs and fill a flight plan. This service is available under www.iwb.pansa.pl

8. Good to know that ...

In Polish flight information region (FIR) civil air traffic services are provided by Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA).
In Polish airspace there are only C, D and G airspace classes.
Controlled airspace lays above FL95 in all FIR – class C. Below – only in CTRs (Control Zone – class C and D) and TMAs (Terminal Control Area – class C or D).
In uncontrolled airspace (class G) enroute Flight Information Service (FIS) is available in English as well as in Polish.
Aerodrome Flight Information Service (AFIS) is available only on 5 aerodromes (EPBC, EPML and EPSY, EPRA, EPMO – when ATC is not provided). The majority of small airfields having own radio frequency do not provide aerodrome information service, so radio communication in English language may not be available.
CTRs and TMAs of the main airports are 24/7. At smaller airports (for example EPSY, EPZG, EPLB, EPRA) ATC is provided only in hours published in AIP or NOTAM.
Transition altitude in FIR Warsaw is 6500 ft altitude.

Transition level – FL80 or FL90 (when QNH is very low). Flight planning in transition layer (between 6500 ft alt and FL80) should be avoided.