Berlin’s main airport reopened February 6, after hundreds of flights were canceled because of icy conditions that disrupted transportation systems across northern Germany.
While some airlines resumed service, significant delays and cancellations were expected to continue, Berlin Brandenburg Airport said in a post on social media platform X on the afternoon of February 6. More than 190 flights at the hub were canceled in a 24-hour period, according to FlightAware.
The closures started late on February 5, with the airport saying on its website that no takeoffs and landings were possible due to freezing rain and black ice.
“Passengers need to be patient,” the Berlin airport operator said on the morning of February 6 in an emailed statement.
British Airways scrapped some morning services from London airports. EasyJet Plc canceled about 20 return flights on February 6, an EasyJet spokeswoman said, though service later resumed.
Deutsche Lufthansa AG also canceled some operations.Â
“We are doing everything we can to resume stable flight operations as quickly as possible,” a company spokesperson said in an email.
Due to rain freezing on contact with the ground, the German weather service DWD warned of “significant slipperiness” for areas from Berlin to the Baltic Coast and the border with Poland.
With temperatures expected to hover around freezing, it’s unclear when travel disruptions may ease. A cold spell is set to develop across northwest Europe next week, according to models from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s national railway operator, said train service between Berlin and Hanover was affected by the weather, with delays and cancellations plaguing the key corridor linking eastern and western Germany.
