LOT Pilot Aborts Landing at Okęcie Due to Drone

In brief

• A LOT flight from Prague to Warsaw aborted its landing at Chopin Airport on Friday after a drone appeared on the approach path.
• The aircraft circled over Warsaw for about a dozen minutes before landing safely on a second approach.
• The airport said flight safety was not compromised, and the operator of the drone has not been identified.

Sudden Abort of Landing

On Friday, 13 November, a Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT aircraft flying from Prague to Warsaw was already at low altitude when the crew decided to abort its descent (Dron na ścieżce lądowania! Samolot LOT musiał poderwać się tuż nad Okęciem – fakt.pl) (Chwile grozy w samolocie z Pragi do Warszawy. Pilot musiał przerwać lądowanie – Onet). The pilot quickly increased engine power and climbed back into the air (За секунди до приземлення літак різко набрав висоту: що побачив пілот – TSN) (Przerwali lądowanie z powodu drona. Incydent na warszawskim Okęciu – Wirtualna Polska). The reason was a drone spotted in the airport's operating zone, which was on the aircraft's approach path (У варшавському аеропорту літак перервав посадку через дрон – Українська правда) (Tuż przed dotknięciem pasa pilot musiał poderwać samolot – TVN24).

Captain and Passenger Response

The aircraft circled over Warsaw for about a dozen minutes before the crew made a second approach and landed safely (В Варшаве пилот был вынужден прервать посадку самолета из-за дрона – NV). No one on board was injured.

Airport Statement

A spokesperson for Warsaw Chopin Airport, Piotr Rudzki, confirmed that the incident took place around noon. He said the safety of flight operations was not compromised, that the manoeuvre was a standard procedure, and that flights are operating normally.

Liability for Drone Use

The area around the airport is a controlled zone, and launching drones there without permission from the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) is prohibited. For now, it is not known who was operating the drone. The authorities are working to establish their identity.

Risks to Aircraft

A collision between an aircraft and a drone during landing could have serious consequences, including engine damage, a punctured fuselage, and even an air disaster.