Berlin’s new Brandenburg Airport is finally due to open in one month. The opening date has been met with speculation as it has been delayed many times in the ten years since the airport was initially due to open.
Over the last decade, Berlin’s new Brandenburg airport has made headlines many times. However, this has typically been for the wrong reasons. For example, when all of the airport’s flight information screens had to be replaced, having reached the end of their service life despite having not helped a single passenger. However, it seems as though things are about to change.
One month to go
Things are hotting up at Berlin’s new Brandenburg Airport, with the official opening now just a month away. The airport is set to open on October 31st. Meanwhile, the final flight from the old Tegel Airport will be operated by Air France on November 8th to Paris Charles De Gaulle, according to the airport authorities.
#DankeTXL Vor 60 Jahren landete erstmals eine Zivilmaschine der @airfranceDE in #TXL. Am 8. November fliegt eine Air France-Maschine als letzte von #Tegel nach Paris-Charles de Gaulle #CDG. https://t.co/ahfVTkAbme
— Berlin Airport Corporate News (@fbb_corporate) September 29, 2020
While Tegel will be closing down for good, Schönefeld Airport will be facing a slightly different fate. This airport, which operates as Berlin’s low-cost hub, will instead merge with Brandenburg Airport. The new Brandenburg airport has been built adjacent to Schönefeld.
As a result, it is necessary to rename Schönefeld to avoid confusion. From October 25th, when the IATA winter schedule begins, Schönefeld will become part of Brandenburg Airport. It will swap its current IATA code of SXF for BER. Additionally, it will be rebranded to ‘Terminal 5’, with Terminal 1 and 2 being part of the main Brandenburg complex.
Terminal 2 ready but not opening
Just this week, Berlin’s airport authorities revealed that BER’s Terminal 2 had achieved its target date. This second terminal compliments Terminal 1 with its own facilities such as check-in, security, and baggage claim.
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With Terminal 1, 2, and 5, Berlin’s new airport will have the capacity for 40 million passengers per year. So far, just 7.3 million passengers have used Berlin’s airport’s this year. That figure won’t reach close to 40 million this year.
According to aeroTELEGRAPH, Terminal 2 won’t open to airlines and passengers until summer 2021, given the decreased passenger numbers currently being experienced. IATA yesterday revised down its flight recovery estimates.
Commenting on this, Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, Chief Executive Officer of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH said,
“We do not need the terminal to open BER due to the collapse in passenger numbers. Therefore, FBB will probably not put T2 into operation before the 2021 summer flight schedule. Until then, we can save half a million euros each month. Terminal 2 will be ready for use within a very short time once passenger numbers start to rise again.”
Are you excited to see Berlin’s new airport finally opening after all of these years? Let us know what you think and why in the comments!
