Terminal 1 evacuated at Berlin BER Airport over security check
German Federal Police evacuated Terminal 1 at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) on Thursday evening following a report of a possible danger related to baggage. Passengers were asked to leave the building, Deutsche Welle reports.
Report of a substance in baggage
A police spokesperson told the DPA news agency that a woman informed security staff about a dangerous substance in her baggage. According to him, a potential threat from the unidentified substance could not be ruled out, so an alert was declared over potentially dangerous baggage.
At the initial stage, the police spokesperson declined to provide further comment. It was not yet clear whether the substance posed a real threat.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Delays to some flights
Before confirmation from police, passengers and a German journalist posted reports from the scene about the terminal's evacuation. Footage that was released showed people waiting outside, as well as emergency vehicles near the entrance on the lower level.
At that time, the airport's website did not contain a notice about disruptions to Terminal 1 operations. At the same time, several, though not all, flights scheduled to depart from Terminal 1 at around 7:00 p.m. local time were marked as having at least a minor delay.
BER Airport, also known as Willy Brandt Airport, is located in Schönefeld. It is Berlin's busiest airport and Germany's third-largest by passenger traffic. Around 26 million passengers use it each year.
