Black ice on the runway at Berlin Brandenburg Airport has caused flight suspensions and cancellations for over 24 hours. As of Friday morning, there was no clear indication of when normal operations would resume.
Freezing rain and widespread black ice has caused flight cancelled take-offs and landings at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) where runways and taxiways remained dangerously slippery on Friday morning.
According to airport spokespeople, winter service teams had treated the airfield throughout the night on Thursday with de‑icing agents, but without success – the surfaces were still “as smooth as glass”.
Clearing machines were in use on the airfield at around 7:30am on Friday, but the airport confirmed that restarting operations would not be possible.
As of around 9:30am on Friday, a banner on the airport’s website warned: “Due to weather conditions, no take-offs or landings are currently possible. Please check your flight status before travelling to the airport.”
If operations resume, airlines would then be expected to decide individually which flights will be cancelled or postponed, and which will proceed.
What should passengers do?
Air travellers are advised to check their flight status before heading to Berlin airport on Friday.
Even though flights may appear on the departure and arrival boards – some with gate assignments – many are heavily delayed or cancelled.
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Snow ploughs are in use at the capital’s BER airport. At BER Airport, air traffic has been suspended due to the weather. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder
De‑icing aircrafts in these conditions can add an hour or more to scheduled take-offs, creating backups that lead to long waiting times and cancellations.
By midday Thursday, 35 of 180 planned departures had been cancelled, with more cancellations following throughout the day.
Travellers arriving in Berlin also described long waits on parked aircraft before being allowed to disembark due to difficulties manoeuvring the runway on the icy surfaces.
Take care on the roads
Icy conditions haven’t only affected air travel.
The freezing rain also created dangerous driving conditions across Berlin and Brandenburg, with authorities warning of black ice and urging people to avoid unnecessary travel.
The German Weather Service (DWD) has issued official severe weather warnings for Berlin and parts of Brandenburg, as black ice continues to make roads and pavements treacherous.
Public transport has also been affected: the underground U2 is operating only between Alexanderplatz and Pankow at reduced frequency, the U3 remains partly suspended, and regional trains – such as the RE7 – are experiencing cancellations and delays.
Conditions are expected to remain slippery over the weekend, with further freezing rain and sleet expected on Saturday night.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thelocal.de
