Berlin Brandenburg Airport: chronicle of an airport foretold

With 33.3 million passengers in 2017, representing growth of 1.3 % at its two airports, Tegel and Schönefeld, Berlin is Germany's third-largest airport city. However, its capacity is limited, with business travellers often having to pass through Frankfurt and Munich, the country's two main air hubs, on their way to distant destinations, particularly in Asia. Hence the need for a new airport, the Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport (BBA), whose the foundation stone was laid in... 2006. But from construction faults to escalating costs - almost seven billion euros, compared to the two billion initially forecast - from interminable delays to triple management problems between the city of Berlin, the Land of Brandenburg and the federal state, the airport, initially hoped for 2010, will not finally open until October 2020.

But there's no room for optimism: it should make Berlin a new air hubThis will result in the opening of new routes and 60,000 direct and indirect jobs. Located close to Schönefeld, the former GDR airport, where it will use the northern runway, which has just been extended by 600 metres, the BBA will also be equipped with a new runway, four kilometres long and 60 metres wide. This runway will allow wide-bodied aircraft, notably the A380s, to land and take off with ease. When it opens, the new airport will have a capacity of 33 million passengers, rising to 55 million by 2040.

What about the others?

Meanwhile, what has become of Tempelhof, the former 1920s airport in the heart of the capital? Closed in October 2008 and then opened to the public in 2010, it has been metamorphosed into a a vast era of play and sportIn the meantime, while waiting for the future hub, Tegel airport, which is also very central and very easy to get to, continues to serve most flights to Europe's major capitals. It is home to almost all the international airlines, from KLM and British Airways to Scoot, Singapore Airlines' low-cost airline. However, despite numerous protests, Tegel will not be kept in business and is expected to close as soon as the new airport opens its doors.

On the other hand, Schönefeld will virtually be part of the new airport BBA to which it will be attached. In 2017, Schönefeld handled 12.9 million passengers, a figure well above that of an airport like Cologne/Bonn. It is mainly used by low-cost airlines such as easyJetBerlin Tegel and Schönefeld also offer flights to the East, to Bulgaria, Turkey and Russia with Aeroflot. In all, Berlin Tegel and Schönefeld currently serve 196 destinations worldwide.