diff --git a/modules/dcache/src/main/java/org/dcache/pool/nearline/NearlineStorageHandler.java b/modules/dcache/src/main/java/org/dcache/pool/nearline/NearlineStorageHandler.java
index e1c30ba75b4..5fa0404af2d 100644
--- a/modules/dcache/src/main/java/org/dcache/pool/nearline/NearlineStorageHandler.java
+++ b/modules/dcache/src/main/java/org/dcache/pool/nearline/NearlineStorageHandler.java
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@
 import org.dcache.pool.repository.ReplicaDescriptor;
 import org.dcache.pool.repository.ReplicaState;
 import org.dcache.pool.repository.Repository;
+import org.dcache.pool.repository.Repository.OpenFlags;
 import org.dcache.pool.repository.StateChangeEvent;
 import org.dcache.pool.repository.StateChangeListener;
 import org.dcache.pool.repository.StickyChangeEvent;
@@ -116,7 +117,6 @@
 import org.dcache.util.Checksum;
 import org.dcache.vehicles.FileAttributes;
 
-
 import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkArgument;
 import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkNotNull;
 import static com.google.common.collect.Iterables.transform;
@@ -838,7 +838,7 @@ private class FlushRequestImpl extends AbstractRequest<PnfsId> implements FlushR
         public FlushRequestImpl(NearlineStorage nearlineStorage, PnfsId pnfsId) throws CacheException, InterruptedException
         {
             super(nearlineStorage);
-            descriptor = repository.openEntry(pnfsId, NO_FLAGS);
+            descriptor = repository.openEntry(pnfsId, EnumSet.of(OpenFlags.NOATIME));
             infoMsg = new StorageInfoMessage(cellAddress, pnfsId, false);
             infoMsg.setStorageInfo(descriptor.getFileAttributes().getStorageInfo());
             String path = descriptor.getFileAttributes().getStorageInfo().getKey("path");