Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) continues to face significant disruption after a cyberattack on the external provider of its computer-controlled passenger and baggage handling system. The provider announced that it may take several more days before a fully secure and stable software solution is available, despite calling in additional specialists to resolve the issue.

Since the outage, airlines and airport staff have been forced to handle check-in and boarding largely manually. As a result, longer waiting times, flight delays, and cancellations remain likely. The airport operator, Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH (FBB), has mobilized all available resources and is working on alternative measures to minimize the impact on passengers.

Operations improved slightly on Thursday morning when baggage sorting by flight was restored, thanks to changes in procedures. This has eased the workload and made handling more efficient, though passengers are still being urged to plan for extra time.

Advice for passengers
The airport strongly recommends that passengers:

• Check directly with their airline well in advance to confirm flight status.

• Use their airline’s online check-in service wherever possible.

• Make use of the airport’s numerous self-service kiosks to print boarding passes and then proceed to the Fast-Bag-Drop stations to deposit luggage.

FBB emphasized that these services rely on a deliberately redundant technical infrastructure, ensuring they remain unaffected by the outage.

Security checks also affected
Passengers may also face longer waits at security. To speed up screening, BER advises travelers to use checkpoints equipped with CT scanners, located at the North Pavilion (Checkpoint 1), the South Pavilion (Checkpoint 5), and Terminal 2. All other checkpoints in Terminal 1 and 2 remain operational. The airport also warned that its runway may be closed temporarily for operational reasons.

The operator has apologized for the inconvenience caused, stating: “We regret the impact this has on our passengers and thank everyone for their patience while we work with our partners to restore full service as soon as possible.”