With the first warm days, the urge to travel is picking up again : Flights are being booked daily, and maybe you’ve even snagged one of the current bargains—like the Ryanair deals with tickets starting at €14.99 to Milan. However, anyone who wanted to take off today—whether for a relaxing trip to Italy, another destination, or an important meeting—will have to stay in Berlin, whether they like it or not. Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) will be on strike all day Wednesday, March 18. The strike began early this morning at 5 a.m. and will continue until 11:59 p.m. During this period, all flight operations will come to a standstill; no planes will be able to take off or land.
A total of around 445 scheduled flights have to be canceled , affecting approximately 57,000 passengers . Many travelers were informed by their airlines in advance and therefore did not show up at the airport in the first place. Consequently, the terminals remain empty on this day, while numerous flights have been rebooked or alternative travel options offered .
The warning strike was called by the ver.di union. Around 2,000 employees of the airport company are participating —including staff from the fire department, air traffic control, and terminal management. Since these central areas are essential for operations, the airport cannot maintain flight operations.
The strike is the result of ongoing collective bargaining negotiations. Employers had most recently offered a gradual wage increase of one to 1.5 percent per year through 2028, which the ver.di union, however, rejects as insufficient. Instead, it is demanding a six percent wage increase and criticizes the offer as a lack of appreciation for the employees. The airport operator, for its part, describes the scope of the strike as disproportionate. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for March 25, 2026, with the aim of reaching an agreement.
Affected travelers are urged to contact their airline or tour operator directly for information on rebooking and alternative options. In the weeks leading up to this, there have already been several strikes and cancellations in air travel—including at Lufthansa in February and at several airports in Belgium in mid-March.