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Major European airport cancels all flights with 60,000 passengers affected

Published 09:59 18 Mar 2026 GMT

Updated 10:30 18 Mar 2026 GMT

Harry Warner
Major European airport cancels all flights with 60,000 passengers affected

Homenews

Around 445 flights have been cancelled

A major European airport has ground to halt after cancelling all its flights with around 60,000 passengers being affected.

This comes as part of a 'warning strike' which will see union action cancel all 445 flights leaving 57,000 people without flights.

Currently Berlin Brandenburg Airport is the number one most disrupted airport in the world, as per Flightradar24.

The flight-tracking site posted on X: "Due to a warning strike, all commercial flights to and from Berlin Brandenburg Airport today have been cancelled. More than 440 departures and arrivals and close to 60,000 passengers will be affected."

Berlin Brandenburg is Germany's third busiest airport after Frankfurt and Munich.

The airport sees around 25.5 million people each year, with 57,000 to be affected today according to BER management.

Strike action to take place all day

The strike is active from 05:00 until 23:59 on Wednesday, 18 March.

Trade union ver.di called on the employees of Berlin Brandenburg Airport to go on a warning strike with union and the airport falling to agree on a satisfactory pay rise.

The BER management has criticised the planned strike by around 2,000 employees.

Aletta von Massenbach, Chairwoman of the Airport Company's Management Board said: "We consider a warning strike to be disproportionate, especially in a situation that is already very tense due to the war in Iran."

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What can those affected do

Affected passengers have been told to contact their airline for information on rebooking and alternative travel options, according to an official announcement from BER Airport.

Meanwhile, airlines have been told they must inform travellers about the cancellations if they are affected.

In the case of flights not booked through the airlines, such as package holiday, the respective tour operator is responsible.