Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) handled 1.98 million passengers in March 2026—up 1.2 % year-on-year—even as 880 flights were scrubbed due to the Middle East conflict and a ver.di ground-staff strike on 18 March. Flight movements dipped 3.6 % to 14,700, but the modest passenger growth suggests latent demand remains strong for the capital region. The war-related cancellations mainly involved services to Tel Aviv, Dubai and Doha after the EU aviation regulator expanded no-fly advisories over the Gulf. Cargo fared worse, sliding by one-third to 2,900 tonnes as freighters diverted to Cologne and Leipzig to avoid fuel-rationing uncertainties. Airport management noted that new point-to-point leisure routes to Malaga, Faro and Heraklion partially offset the Middle East downturn, while rail-air integration via the under-terminal ICE station captured domestic transfer traffic displaced by Lufthansa’s earlier cabin-crew strike. For mobility planners, the figures underline BER’s resilience but also its vulnerability to labour unrest on which carriers have little control. Looking ahead, spring schedules face further headwinds from the 13–14 April Lufthansa pilot strike and the phased rollout of the EU Entry/Exit System, which may add processing time for non-EU visitors. Companies routing assignees through Berlin should build longer connection windows and monitor ground-handling union negotiations slated for late May.
Source: Aviation24
