BER briefly suspends flight operations over drone sighting

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Travelers at Berlin's BER capital airport had to be patient in the evening: a drone sighting caused flight operations to be completely halted for roughly three-quarters of an hour. Takeoffs and landings were not possible during that time before operations were cleared to resume.

Both available sources confirm the incident independently. According to Spiegel, the drone was spotted in the evening, while Stern reports that flight operations had to "pause again because of an object."

What happened at BER

In the evening, things suddenly came to a halt at BER: a drone had been spotted in the airport area, prompting the complete suspension of flight operations. Takeoffs and landings were paused for roughly 45 minutes, after which operations were gradually cleared to resume. Aircraft were once again permitted to take off and land.

BER is a drone hotspot

The latest incident fits into a pattern that has plagued BER for months: according to Stern, no German airport saw as many drone sightings in the first half of the year as BER. The capital airport is therefore by far the most frequently affected site for drone sightings within Germany – a finding that, beyond this specific incident, points to a growing security problem in the airspace around Berlin.

What travelers need to know

Anyone wanting to take off or land at BER in the evening had to expect delays. How many flights were specifically affected and whether individual aircraft were diverted is not clear from the available reports. Spiegel states verbatim:

Flights were suspended for three-quarters of an hour; aircraft are once again permitted to take off and land.

Stern places the incident in a broader context:

No German airport saw as many drone sightings in the first half of the year as BER. Now flight operations have once again had to pause because of an object.

The available reports said nothing about the type, size and origin of the drone, or about any possible investigation or police intervention.

Background: Drones and airports

Drone sightings have been among the growing risks for air traffic at German airports for years. Even multicopters weighing just a few hundred grams can become dangerous when they approach engines or cockpits – which is why airport operators typically respond with immediate take-off and landing stoppages as soon as an aerial object is spotted in the secured area. How often such incidents actually occur at BER is underscored by the latest Stern report.