Unknown drone forces temporary shutdown of Berlin’s main international airport

A airport spokesman told media operations were halted for nearly two hours, from 8:08 p.m. to 9:58 p.m. local time.

Many flights were diverted to other airports — Dresden, Leipzig, Hamburg and Hanover. Departures and arrivals were also delayed in Basel, Oslo and Barcelona. Aircraft from London, Stockholm, Antalya and Helsinki were diverted to alternate airports.

Operations were disrupted after a witness reported seeing a drone near the airport at about 8 p.m. A patrol-car crew confirmed a drone in the sky, but authorities were unable to locate the pilot, DW reported.

BER was also closed Oct. 29 after an unidentified drone was detected.

Since September 2025, Russia has regularly violated the airspace of NATO member states. Russian drones and aircraft, as well as unidentified unmanned aerial vehicles, have been repeatedly detected over Poland, Romania, Estonia, Denmark, Spain, Latvia, France, Germany and other countries. European airports have been routinely closed because of UAS threats.

On Sept. 23, during a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York, U.S. President Donald Trump said NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft that enter their airspace.

In October, the European Parliament adopted a resolution urging EU members to shoot down drones and aircraft that illegally violate their airspace.