The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL) has frozen PLN 6.5 billion belonging to the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA). For ordinary citizens, this could mean cancelled flights and even the closure of Poland’s airspace – without these funds, the Agency may be unable to pay air traffic controllers or maintain radar systems. If PANSA were to become financially insolvent, Germany’s air navigation service provider, DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung, is reportedly prepared to take over the management of Polish airspace. Even more controversially, the Polish government reportedly decided not to file an appeal against the decision, despite its potential implications for national security.
Could Germany Take Control of Polish Airspace?
The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) is one of the country’s key institutions. It is responsible for ensuring the safe, continuous, efficient, and orderly flow of air traffic within Polish airspace by providing air navigation services, managing airspace, and coordinating air traffic flow.
PANSA’s financial resources within the EUROCONTROL system are directly linked to the collection of en-route navigation charges for flights crossing Polish airspace. More than 80-85 percent of the Agency’s total revenue comes from these route charges, which are collected from airlines by EUROCONTROL on PANSA’s behalf. The annual value of these payments amounts to hundreds of millions of złoty.
PLN 6.5 Billion Frozen
According to information obtained by the outlet, PANSA President Magdalena Jaworska informed employees about the account freeze during a staff meeting on Thursday – more than a week after the European agency had issued its decision. Among the frozen assets are Poland’s navigation fee revenues. Why were PANSA’s funds frozen?
On April 1, 2026, the French-speaking Court of First Instance in Brussels (Civil Division, Fourth Chamber) issued a non-final ruling in a lawsuit brought by Pfizer Export against the Republic of Poland. The case concerns a contract signed by the European Commission with Pfizer in 2021 for the supply of COVID-19 vaccines and Poland’s withdrawal from that agreement in 2022.
According to the report, this ruling resulted in the freezing of approximately PLN 6.5 billion belonging to PANSA.
What Would a Loss of Funding Mean for PANSA?
As previously noted, PANSA finances its operations through navigation charges paid by airlines and transferred via EUROCONTROL. The freezing of PLN 6.5 billion would, according to the report, have devastating consequences for Polish civil aviation.
Without access to these funds, PANSA could quickly lose financial liquidity. That would make it impossible to pay hundreds of air traffic controllers, whose work is essential for every passenger aircraft taking off, landing, or safely flying through Polish airspace. The Agency could also lose the ability to maintain critical infrastructure, including radar installations and communication systems. As a result, Polish airspace could potentially be closed to civilian air traffic.
International aviation regulations require every country to ensure the safety of its own airspace. If a state is unable to do so, responsibility may be transferred to an external provider.
According to the report, DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung, Germany’s state-owned air traffic control provider, has expressed its readiness to supervise Polish airspace if necessary. Such a scenario would effectively transfer operational control over Poland’s airspace to its western neighbor.
The report also claims that the Polish government decided not to file an official appeal against the freezing of PANSA’s accounts, “effectively surrendering the fight for control of Poland’s airspace.”
PANSA’s Statement
PANSA provided the following statement:
“On July 1 of this year, the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency received notification from the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL), headquartered in Belgium, regarding the attachment of PANSA’s claims arising from en-route navigation charges due to the Agency. The attachment was carried out in connection with an April 2026 ruling by a Belgian court in the case of Pfizer v. the Republic of Poland. PANSA was not a party to these proceedings, and the case is entirely unrelated to the Agency’s statutory responsibilities.”
The Agency acknowledged that once EUROCONTROL received the enforceable court order, it became legally obliged to suspend the transfer of all funds generated from en-route navigation charges – both those currently held and future payments – until Pfizer’s claim is satisfied or the legal situation changes.
PANSA added:
“At this stage, PANSA is taking all necessary legal steps to have the security measure lifted and the Agency’s financial resources released. A formal objection is currently being prepared and will be submitted within the required deadline. These activities are being conducted in close coordination with the General Counsel to the Republic of Poland and the relevant state authorities. At the same time, together with the appropriate national institutions, we are taking measures to secure the financial resources necessary to ensure the uninterrupted performance of PANSA’s statutory duties. We emphasize that the court proceedings forming the basis for freezing PANSA’s funds are entirely unrelated to the Agency’s operations. PANSA’s priority remains maintaining the highest level of safety and continuity of air navigation services, and there is no risk of any employee layoffs.”