Poland extends flight ban until May 23

Warsaw, Poland – The Polish government has prolonged the flight ban on all international and domestic routes until May 23, local media reported.

The air travel ban, in force since March 15 to stem the spread of coronavirus, was due to expire on May 9 after being extended several times already.

A number of airlines, including Air France-KLM, had planned to re-start flights from Warsaw airport to Paris and Amsterdam on Monday, but have to put their plans on hold due to the extension of the flight ban in Poland.

National Polish carrier LOT said all its scheduled flights until May 31 have been cancelled.

A few exceptions remain, including planes with up to 15 passengers, cargo and technical aircraft, as well as flights to repatriate foreign citizens in Poland to their home countries.

On Monday morning, Poland had more than 16,500 confirmed cases of Covid-19 infection, while deaths exceeded 820.

Although borders remain largely closed across Central Europe, other countries have already started easing some travel restrictions.

While Slovakia has maintained a ban on all civilian flights until May 14 at least, neighbouring Czech Republic has relaxed some regulations and partially reopened its borders, theoretically allowing Czech citizens to travel abroad.

Czech Airlines also announced it would re-start flights to a number of European destinations, including Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt, later this month.