Storm Ziros” paralyzes BER airport and traffic in Berlin!

Storm Ziros” paralyzes BER airport and traffic in Berlin!

A strong storm called “Ziros” caused massive disruption to public transport in Berlin and Brandenburg today, June 23, 2025. The S-Bahn, bus and train connections were temporarily paralyzed, making life difficult for commuters and travelers. BER Berlin-Brandenburg Airport was particularly affected, as it suspended all check-in between 5:20 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. for safety reasons while the thunderstorm cell moved across the region. This short-term interruption resulted in slight delays in departures, as moz.de reports.

Although the wind speeds of over 100 km/h caused some trees to snap and branches to fall onto tracks and car roofs, flight operations remained largely undisturbed. There were delays on the airport's website between the storms, but the safety of passengers was guaranteed at all times. There was no direct impact on takeoffs and landings.

Transport connections

How important a good connection to the airport is was shown in this unpleasant weather situation. The Airport Express (FEX), which connects BER with Berlin city center, currently runs twice an hour. Regardless of the weather-related difficulties, the journey time from the airport to Berlin Central Station remains around 30 minutes, even if the FEX does not stop at Schönefeld station. There are also numerous regional trains available every day, such as the RE8, RB22, RB23, RB24 and RB32 lines, which run to the airport a total of eight times an hour. The S-Bahn lines S45 and S9 also run regularly and would have become even more important in the pre-Corona period, as explained on sbahn.berlin.

The airport is used heavily by travelers, especially on nights when S-Bahn trains run into the city until after 1 a.m. from Sunday to Monday and the first trips start at 3 a.m. This ensures quick progress, even if the weather conditions don't cooperate.

Weather service and aviation challenges

In such unpredictable weather situations, precise control of air traffic is essential. The German Weather Service (DWD) therefore offers airport-related detailed information that is important for operators and airlines. These specified weather reports accurately predict what will happen over the next few hours, including warnings of possible weather-related risks. The content is individually tailored to the requirements of the respective airports, so that ICAO airport weather warnings can be issued in the event of critical weather events in order to minimize damage, as dwd.de explains.

The constant updates about weather developments, lightning discharges and other relevant metadata ensure that airlines are well prepared. Thanks to this extensive database, the airport remains an important hub for air traffic even in difficult times.