Press Release

BER runways to be renamed
Movement in the Earth’s magnetic field requires adjustment

The two runways at Berlin Brandenburg Airport will be renamed on 3 October 2024, whereby the informal names for the northern and southern runway will be retained. Moreover, the designations for the runway designators, which are required for navigations, are set to change. The north runway 25R/07L will become 24R/06L and the south runway 07R/25L will become 06R/24L.

Constant movement in the Earth’s magnetic field has necessitated the adjustment. It causes the North Pole to shift by several kilometres each year. All runways worldwide are aligned with the compass rose. The precise degrees result from the angle of the respective runway in relation to the geomagnetic north pole. If the variation becomes too great, traffic control orders a name change. This will affect all airports worldwide at different times. However, the approach and departure routes will not change as a result of the new naming.

Even if the difference only appears to be small, it is fundamental for the cooperation of all process partners on the apron and in the air. The runway identifiers are already clearly visible on the approach to the airport. The re-marking of the runways and replacement of the signs on the aprons and taxiways have been underway since 25 September. Preparations for the changeover began last year and in close cooperation with process partners such as Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS) (German air navigation service provider) and the airlines. The renaming must be stored in all relevant documents, IT systems and registers. The instrument landing system in place at the BER site and meteorological equipment will also be updated.

Picture 1: The two runways at BER will be renamed on 3 October 2024. The informal names for the north and south runways will be retained. The designations for the runway designators, which are necessary for navigation, will change. The north runway 25R/07L will become 24R/06L and the south runway 07R/25L will become 06R/24L.

Picture 2: The two runways at BER will be renamed on 3 October 2024. The runway identifiers can already be clearly seen on the approach to the airport. The re-marking of the runways and the replacement of signs on the aprons and taxiways have been in progress since 25 September.