Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER): flight delays and compensation

Berlin Brandenburg Airport. As an EU airport, every flight departing from here is covered by EU Regulation 261/2004. Here is what to expect if your flight was delayed or cancelled here, or you were stranded.

By the EU261 Flight Delay editorial team Last reviewed: Reading time: 6 min How we write our guides

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In short: Any flight departing from Berlin Brandenburg Airport that arrives 3 or more hours late, is cancelled less than 14 days before departure, or is overbooked can give €250–600 per passenger. Departures: EU261 with any airline.

Live at Berlin (BER) today

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About the airport

Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) serves Berlin, Germany. On the routes Eurostat reports, 22,824,472 passengers flew to or from it in 2024, the 22nd-highest among the 397 European airports we cover. Its busiest connections were to Frankfurt, Munich, Palma de Mallorca, Zurich.

Every flight departing from here is covered by EU Regulation 261/2004, whatever the airline. Flights arriving here are covered if they depart from the EU, or if an EU airline operates them from outside the EU.

Busiest routes from Berlin – and what a delay is worth

The 30 busiest routes on Eurostat’s 2024 data, with the compensation for a 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation in each direction.

DestinationPassengers 2024DistanceFrom BERReturn
Frankfurt FRA1,167,085431 km€250€250
Munich MUC918,533462 km€250€250
Palma de Mallorca PMI870,1611,646 km€400€400
Zurich ZRH861,501650 km€250€250
Amsterdam AMS827,957593 km€250€250
Antalya AYT747,9042,186 km€400€400*
Vienna VIE696,408521 km€250€250
Paris CDG695,225856 km€250€250
Istanbul IST652,2271,685 km€400€400*
Barcelona BCN618,7271,502 km€400€400
London LHR611,164961 km€250£220
Madrid MAD540,6571,850 km€400€400
Rome FCO523,0731,178 km€250€250
Copenhagen CPH481,555366 km€250€250
Istanbul SAW479,0351,748 km€400€400*
London STN432,793906 km€250£220
Dublin DUB416,3891,327 km€250€250
Brussels BRU402,331643 km€250€250
Paris ORY364,376884 km€250€250
Budapest BUD360,756686 km€250€250
Helsinki HEL349,4381,129 km€250€250
Athens ATH340,9721,797 km€400€400
Stuttgart STR337,920508 km€250€250
Stockholm ARN317,934855 km€250€250
Lisbon LIS314,5712,303 km€400€400
London LGW292,672950 km€250£220
Málaga AGP287,9482,241 km€400€400
Manchester MAN282,1941,063 km€250£220
Oslo OSL272,303883 km€250€250
Milan LIN256,943828 km€250€250

* only with an EU (or UK) airline. Passengers: Eurostat, both directions, routes reported by EU/EEA airports.

Air traffic flow delays at Brandenburg (2025)

EUROCONTROL records the delay imposed on arriving flights when the airport or the airspace around it cannot take more traffic (air traffic flow management, “ATFM”). In 2025, 96,342 flights arrived at BER; 560 of them were held back this way, 240 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.10 minutes per arrival.

What caused the ATFM delay

  • aerodrome capacity91%
  • weather8%
  • other1%

Average ATFM delay per arrival by month (min)

  1. J
  2. F
  3. M
  4. A
  5. M
  6. J
  7. J
  8. A
  9. S
  10. O
  11. N
  12. D

Worst days: 26 September 2025 – 3,148 minutes, mostly aerodrome capacity; 25 September 2025 – 2,583 minutes, mostly aerodrome capacity; 24 September 2025 – 1,763 minutes, mostly aerodrome capacity.

2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 70,278 arrivals, 0.31 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly weather (79%) and equipment (non-ATC) (13%).

Check what happened at BER on your travel day →

What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (8% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (0%) or airport limits – causes airlines often cite as extraordinary circumstances. They are only part of the story: most long delays come from the airline’s own operation (technical faults, crew, late inbound aircraft), which this data does not show. Source: EUROCONTROL.

Typical delay causes at Berlin Brandenburg Airport

  • EUROCONTROL recorded 96,342 arrivals at BER in 2025; 560 were held by air traffic flow restrictions, 240 of them by more than 15 minutes.
  • The largest single cause of this flow delay was aerodrome capacity (91%); weather accounted for 8%.
  • The worst day was 26 September 2025, with 3,148 minutes of flow delay, mostly aerodrome capacity.
  • Most long delays that earn compensation are not flow delays but airline problems – technical faults, crew shortages and late inbound aircraft – which do not count as extraordinary circumstances.

Airlines you are likely to fly with here

    Check your flight from Berlin

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    What happened?Step 1 of 4

    What happened to your flight?
    Where did you fly from and to?

    With a connection, enter your first departure and your final destination – compensation is based on the total distance.

    Details
    How late did you arrive at your final destination?

    What counts is when the aircraft doors opened at your destination – not the departure delay.

    When were you told about the cancellation?
    When did you arrive on the replacement flight?
    Flight details
    Which airline operated the flight?
    When was the flight?

    How many passengers were on the booking?

    1 passenger

    Every passenger gets their own compensation, children too. Infants under 2 without their own seat do not count.

    • Free, no sign-up
    • Fee only if successful (35%)
    • AirHelp: Trustpilot 4.5/5

    Rather skip the questions? Start a claim with AirHelp straight away

    Local information

    • Ask the airline staff at the gate for the reason for the delay or cancellation and write it down; take a photo of the departure board.
    • From 2 hours’ delay (depending on distance) the airline must give you meals and drinks, and a hotel if you are stuck overnight – keep the receipts if you had to pay yourself.
    • If the airline rejects your claim, complain to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (or arrived, for flights from outside the EU), or go to court.

    Frequently asked questions

    Can I claim compensation for a flight departing from Berlin Brandenburg Airport?

    Yes. BER is an EU airport, so every flight departing from it is covered by EU Regulation 261/2004, whatever the airline and wherever it is based.

    Can I claim compensation for a flight arriving at Berlin Brandenburg Airport?

    If the flight departed from an EU airport: yes, with any airline. If it departed from the UK: yes, under UK261, with any airline. If it departed from elsewhere: only if an EU airline operated it.

    How is the length of the delay measured?

    By your arrival time at your final destination – more precisely, the moment the aircraft door opens at the gate. It must be at least 3 hours after the scheduled arrival time.

    Related guides

    Information only, not legal advice. Passenger figures are approximate and based on the airports' published statistics; punctuality figures are from the UK Civil Aviation Authority. We earn a commission when a claim submitted through our partner links is successful.

    Sources

    1. Eurostat – air passenger transport routes between partner airports and main airports (2024) – Eurostat
    2. EUROCONTROL – airport arrival ATFM delays (open performance data) – EUROCONTROL

    We check every rule against the sources above. Spotted an error? Tell us – see our editorial policy.