Seven-Hour Delays at BER Leave Mallorca Passengers Stranded

Over the weekend there were a series of disruptions at Berlin Brandenburg Airport — for travelers to Mallorca this meant hours of waiting and chaos at the gate.

Major Trouble at BER: Why Passengers Had to Wait So Long

Those who wanted to fly from Berlin to Mallorca over the weekend paid with patience. First, a reported drone in the evening led to a precautionary closure, and later a system fault during maintenance disrupted operations – result: delays of up to seven hours for some flights.

Specific Cases and Frustrated Travelers

The Eurowings flight EW8592 was particularly affected. The departure was scheduled for 12:15, but the flight finally left around 19:50. On Saturday a similar aircraft (EW8584) also departed much later than planned – instead of 13:15 it left at about 20:10. Those standing at the S-Bahn exit of Terminal 1 in the morning and listening to the announcements repeatedly heard: "Please wait, please wait."

Passengers report long queues at check-in, improvised seating on conveyor belts and thirsty children around 5 p.m. A woman from Prenzlauer Berg said nervously that she had tried to comfort people in the line a few times with the little-helpful phrase: "I guess that’s how it is this autumn." A small anecdote: an older gentleman joked about the free Wi‑Fi — "at least that works," he sighed.

Causes: Drone Report and Technical Fault

According to the airport press office, two events triggered the problems: on Friday evening at around 20:08 a drone was reported near the airport; air traffic was suspended as a precaution and resumed a few hours later. Then, in the night from Saturday to Sunday, maintenance work on systems caused unexpected outages – according to those responsible the fault has now been resolved.

The airport authority's advice: affected travelers should contact their airline directly. Legal guidance on enforcing passenger rights can be found in various guides – someone with time, patience and a bit of paperwork usually gets further.

What Travelers Should Know Now

Practical tips: anyone with a connection in Palma should replan; car rental companies and hotels may be accommodating, but not automatically. With long waits it's worth keeping a cool head: drinking water, charging devices, asking at the gate, taking photos of delay notices – such small actions help later when making claims.

Conclusion: These things can happen, but seven hours is extreme. For many it was a weekend that turned out differently than expected — and a clear reminder to always allow a little extra time when traveling.