Flight operations at Berlin Airport were brought to a standstill on Wednesday evening following the sighting of a drone over the northern runway at around 8pm.
The airport authorities responded swiftly, closing the airspace at 8.20pm for safety reasons. As a result, no flights were able to take off or land for at least 45 minutes.
Several flights scheduled to arrive in Berlin were diverted to airports in Dresden and Leipzig, causing disruption for passengers and crew alike.
The restricted airspace was reopened at approximately 9.05pm, allowing operations to gradually resume. However, delays persisted as airport staff worked to restore normal schedules.
Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) has experienced more drone-related disruptions than any other German airport in the first half of this year.
According to data from Schönefeld tower, 28 drone sightings were recorded in the first six months of the year, one more than at Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s largest. In seven of those cases, flight operations had to be temporarily suspended.
The recent increase in drone incidents marks a notable change from last year, when only eight drone sightings were reported at BER and its surroundings throughout all of 2025.
