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Drone Sighting Pauses Flights at Berlin’s BER for Two Hours

Unresolved sightings prompted fresh calls for state-led counter-drone defenses.

Overview

  • Airport officials suspended operations at 20:08 local time and resumed flights at 21:58 after safety checks.
  • During the shutdown, inbound aircraft were diverted, including four to Dresden, four to Leipzig, three to Hamburg, with additional reroutings to Hannover and Bremen.
  • To ease knock-on disruption, the aviation authority granted a one-night exemption allowing departures until 1:00 and arrivals until 4:00.
  • Police deployed ground units and a helicopter after a witness and a patrol reported a drone, which was later no longer observable and no operator was identified.
  • Authorities note a rise in drone-related disruptions this year, and the airport association ADV urged the government to lead detection and countermeasure capabilities.