Press Release

Further drop of air traffic in November / Pandemic leads to massive decline in passengers at German airports

In the first month after the opening of Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt, a total of 213,000 passengers departed and landed at BER. Around 4,700 flights were registered at BER in November 2020. 

In comparison to the previous month of October, the passenger numbers at BER for November 2020 have once again decreased. In October 2020, both Schönefeld and Tegel recorded 581,322 passengers. The worldwide air traffic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is one reason for the current dramatically low level.

One year prior, in November 2019, 2,544,833 passengers were processed at both Schönefeld and Tegel Airport. In comparison to this, the number of passengers in November 2020 has fallen by 91.6 percent. Regarding flights, the numbers show a decrease of 77.3 percent compared to the same month last year. 

Between January and November, a total of 8,833,958 passengers so far were transported. Hence, the passenger volume lies at a mere 26.7 percent compared to the same timeframe last year.

The cargo volume has increased mildly by 120 tonnes compared to the previous month, meaning roughly 1,900 tonnes of air freight were transported at BER in November 2020. This shows a decrease in air freight volume of 39.5 percent compared to the same month last year.

Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, Chief Executive Officer of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH: “The situation regarding airports and airlines is a dramatic one. The second lockdown and the immense travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have further complicated flying. An end to this crisis is unforeseeable. That applies even to Christmas travel, where the outlook is rather bleak. People want to travel, but they also want safety. Only once a fully effective vaccine is found, shall air traffic recover.”

The traffic report for November including all final figures can be found at the end of the month online:

Traffic Report