diff --git a/java/com.sap.sse.landscape.aws/src/com/sap/sse/landscape/aws/impl/AwsInstanceImpl.java b/java/com.sap.sse.landscape.aws/src/com/sap/sse/landscape/aws/impl/AwsInstanceImpl.java
index 26f7f6787b1..8fe03fcc341 100755
--- a/java/com.sap.sse.landscape.aws/src/com/sap/sse/landscape/aws/impl/AwsInstanceImpl.java
+++ b/java/com.sap.sse.landscape.aws/src/com/sap/sse/landscape/aws/impl/AwsInstanceImpl.java
@@ -199,27 +199,32 @@ public class AwsInstanceImpl<ShardingKey> implements AwsInstance<ShardingKey> {
                 " with key "+optionalKeyName+
                 " to instance with ID "+getInstanceId());
         Channel result;
-        try {
-            result = Wait.wait(()->{
-                    Session session = null;
-                    try {
-                        session = createSshSession(sshUserName, optionalKeyName, privateKeyEncryptionPassphrase);
-                        session.setUserInfo(new YesUserInfo());
-                        session.connect(optionalTimeout.map(d->d.asMillis()).orElse(0l).intValue());
-                        return session.openChannel(channelType);
-                    } catch (JSchException | IllegalStateException e) {
-                        if (session != null) {
-                            session.disconnect();
-                        }
-                        throw e;
-                    }
-                },
-                channel->channel != null,
-                /* retryOnException */ true, optionalTimeout,
-                Duration.ONE_SECOND.times(5), Level.INFO,
-                "Trying to connect to " + getInstanceId() + " with user " + sshUserName + " using SSH");
-        } catch (TimeoutException timeout) {
+        if (!optionalKeyName.isPresent() && !Util.hasLength(getInstance().keyName())) {
+            logger.severe("SSH connection to "+this+" cannot be made because no key name is provided, neither explicitly nor during start-up");
             result = null;
+        } else {
+            try {
+                result = Wait.wait(()->{
+                        Session session = null;
+                        try {
+                            session = createSshSession(sshUserName, optionalKeyName, privateKeyEncryptionPassphrase);
+                            session.setUserInfo(new YesUserInfo());
+                            session.connect(optionalTimeout.map(d->d.asMillis()).orElse(0l).intValue());
+                            return session.openChannel(channelType);
+                        } catch (JSchException | IllegalStateException e) {
+                            if (session != null) {
+                                session.disconnect();
+                            }
+                            throw e;
+                        }
+                    },
+                    channel->channel != null,
+                    /* retryOnException */ true, optionalTimeout,
+                    Duration.ONE_SECOND.times(5), Level.INFO,
+                    "Trying to connect to " + getInstanceId() + " with user " + sshUserName + " using SSH");
+            } catch (TimeoutException timeout) {
+                result = null;
+            }
         }
         return result;
     }