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World / Europe

Berlin flights scrapped, delayed by icy winter weather

Published: 06 Feb 2026 - 09:02 pm | Last Updated: 06 Feb 2026 - 09:08 pm
A pier is seen on the frozen ice cover over the Baltic sea in Sellin, northern Germany, on February 5, 2026. (Photo by Danny Gohlke / AFP)

A pier is seen on the frozen ice cover over the Baltic sea in Sellin, northern Germany, on February 5, 2026. (Photo by Danny Gohlke / AFP)

AFP

Berlin: Winter weather forced many flight cancellations and delays on Friday at Berlin's international airport, which struggled to clear runways and de-ice planes to restart normal air travel.

"We resumed flight operations shortly after noon. The first aircraft are currently being de-iced," a Berlin Brandenburg Airport spokeswoman told AFP.

Passengers should nevertheless expect "significant delays and flight cancellations" after "freezing rain fell again overnight", she added.

Only about a quarter of Thursday's flights were able to take off or land before the airport was shut that evening.

No sooner had the runways been cleared than more freezing rains made them slippery again, the spokeswoman said.

"We are doing everything we can," she added.

Bus services in many Berlin districts were also suspended late on Thursday, and transport in the northeastern states of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania were also severely disrupted.

Conditions on Berlin's roads remain "difficult" after days of freezing temperatures, city authorities said.

Conditions were expected to improve, with ice and slip warnings from Berlin to the Baltic Sea downgraded from red to orange.