Berlin Brandenburg
Airport

• In January Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH (FBB) takes over the control, organisation, implementation and financing of aviation security checks at BER in accordance with Section 5 of the Aviation Security Act (LuftSiG). The Federal Police was previously responsible for aviation security checks. 

• The range of flights from BER continues to grow. The summer flight schedule includes 148 destinations in 49 countries served by 68 airlines. Numerous airlines are expanding their programmes from BER, flying to new destinations or increasing the frequency of their flights. Services to North America and Asia are also being strengthened. Compared to the previous year, six more destinations are being served. 

• Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH is on track to achieve financial independence as planned. In 2023, FBB once again generated a positive operating result. EBITDA, the operating result before taxes, interest and depreciation, amounted to €124.4 million, excluding special items. This was higher than before the coronavirus pandemic for the first time. 

• The Berliner Flughafen-Gesellschaft (BFG) is celebrating a major anniversary on 19 May. The BFG was founded 100 years ago, on 19 May 1924. It initially operated Tempelhof Airport and later also Tegel Airport until they were closed. BFG was most recently a wholly owned subsidiary of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH (FBB) and was integrated into FBB in 2021. 

• BER is offering passengers another digital service. Since July, BER Biometrics has enabled all travellers to use various stations in Terminal 1 upon departure via facial recognition and thus without presenting their boarding pass. 

• The movement of the Earth's magnetic field requires adjustments at BER: On 3 October, the two runways at Berlin Brandenburg Airport will be renamed. The designations for the runway identifiers required for navigation will change. The north runway 25R/07L will become 24R/06L and the south runway 07R/25L will become 06R/24L. The adjustment is necessary due to the constant movement of the Earth's magnetic field. All runways worldwide are aligned with the compass rose. 

• Condor is back at BER and, after a two-year break, will connect the capital region with three sunny destinations from the end of October. Condor will fly daily to Dubai, four times a week to Hurghada and twice a week to the Canary Island of Gran Canaria. Travellers have a wide range of global connections via the Dubai hub. 

• Construction work on the first photovoltaic (PV) systems at BER is underway. By spring 2025, three systems will be installed on the roofs of car parks P3, P7 and P8 directly in front of Terminal 1. By 2030, the airport company plans to install PV systems on additional roofs and open spaces to expand its energy supply with sustainable energy sources. 

• BER gets a new long-haul connection to North America: In December, the Canadian airline Air Transat announced that it will fly non-stop to Toronto from 20 June 2025 until the end of the 2025 summer flight schedule. The new destination will be served twice a week. Air Transat offers passengers connecting flights to other destinations in Canada via Toronto Pearson Airport in a codeshare agreement with Porter Airlines. 

• Passenger numbers for 2024 increased by 2.40 million passengers compared to the previous year. A total of 25.5 million passengers departed from BER in 2024 and 44,300 tonnes of air freight were handled. This represents an increase of 30 per cent compared to the previous year. Around 192,000 take-offs and landings were recorded (+8.5 per cent).

• In January, easyJet opens its maintenance hangar at Berlin Brandenburg Airport. The airline has had its own aircraft stationed in the capital region since 2004. The investment of around 20 million euros emphasises the importance of the base at BER and ensures smooth maintenance and repair work. The hangar offers space for work on four aircraft simultaneously, up to the size of an Airbus A321neo. 

• The aviation industry recovers from the corona pandemic, with Eurowings alone doubling its services from BER and now flying to 30 destinations. The summer flight schedule at BER promises 142 destinations in Europe, Africa, Asia and America. 64 airlines fly non-stop to 49 countries. 

• The first joint job fair organised by FBB and its partners at Berlin Brandenburg Airport attracts great interest at the beginning of May. Around 3,000 visitors come to Willy-Brandt-Platz to find out about job opportunities at the airport. Under the motto ‘Take off – JOBS@BER’, 33 companies are exhibiting. 

• For the first time since BER went into operation, the airport company has generated a positive operating result. EBITDA, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation, was positive for the first time at almost €57 million – excluding special items – after losses in the first years of operation in 2020 and 2021 at BER. Total revenue amounted to €594 million. 

• More flights to the USA: United Airlines will fly daily from BER to Washington during the summer flight schedule starting on 26 May. Delta Air Lines is also back in the capital region, connecting BER Airport with JFK Airport in New York daily during the summer flight schedule. In winter, Norse Atlantic Airways will fly to Miami once a week. 

• In July, the BER Runway service breaks the million mark. BER Runway allows travellers to reserve a time slot for exclusive access to security controls. Since its introduction in August 2022, the service has been booked online a million times. Berlin Brandenburg Airport is also announcing that it will be the first German airport to use AI-based software to optimise its handling processes. 

• With the presentation of the new development quarter HORIZN BER CITY, the airport company is starting to market its land-side real estate properties close to the terminal. Within walking distance of Terminals 1 and 2, the company plans to create a versatile, climate-friendly urban landscape. A high-quality future quarter is to be built here on an area of 24 hectares. 

• Berlin Brandenburg Airport has been awarded the Airport Innovation Award 2023. At the award ceremony in London on 14 November, BER prevailed in the final against seven leading airports worldwide, including Doha, Vienna, Frankfurt and Amsterdam. 

• Passenger numbers for 2023 increased by 3.22 million compared to the previous year. A total of 23.07 million passengers departed from BER in 2023 and 34,038 tonnes of air freight were handled. A total of 176,649 take-offs and landings were recorded.

• Terminal 2 (T2) starts operating on 24 March. Due to low passenger numbers during the corona pandemic, it has not been used until then. The Irish airline Ryanair becomes the main user of T2, along with other airlines. 

• United Airlines also returns to the Berlin-Brandenburg region after the pandemic, connecting BER with New York/Newark in the USA non-stop from 28 March. Passengers will have access to more than 50 cities in the USA via the hub, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and Fort Myers. 

• Starting in June, passengers from the Saxon city of Chemnitz will be able to travel directly by train to Berlin Brandenburg Airport. Deutsche Bahn is extending its Intercity connection from Rostock-Warnemünde to Dresden twice daily in both directions to Chemnitz.

• Flight operations are picking up speed again and new interesting destinations are being offered to travellers. Since 12 August, Hainan Airlines, ranked among the ten best airlines in the world by Skytrax, is flying to the Chinese capital Beijing.

• In addition to United Airlines, Norse Atlantic Airways is also been offering a daily non-stop connection to New York City since 17 August. The new Norwegian airline also flys from BER to Los Angeles for the first time. From December, Norse will offer another non-stop connection from BER to Fort Lauderdale.

• Since 25 August, passengers are able to reserve access to the security controls in Terminal 1 free of charge via BER Runway to reduce possible waiting times.

• As decided by the Supervisory Board and announced at the end of the year, Terminal 5 will not be reopened. The terminal was closed in February 2021 due to the corona pandemic.

• On 23 February, Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH closes Terminal 5 of BER (formerly Schönefeld Airport) for an initial period of one year due to the corona pandemic. Until further notice, all traffic at BER will be handled at Terminal 1. The savings achieved by concentrating air traffic will amount to around 25 million euros per year. 

• The new Terminal 2, which is fully completed and ready for operation, will also remain closed for the time being. As soon as passenger numbers rise again, the handling capacities of Terminal 2 and then Terminal 5 will be gradually brought back into operation as required. 

• 100 days of BER: Despite the difficult conditions caused by the global corona pandemic, the airport company is satisfied with the start of operations at Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport. The new airport and its infrastructure have proven to be efficient and reliable. The technical systems and handling processes are running smoothly and ensuring a high level of safety. The new Terminal 1 has been well received by passengers and visitors. Due to the pandemic, only around 700,000 passengers were handled at BER in the first three months. This corresponds to only about ten percent of the pre-crisis level in 2019.

• Tegel Airport is no longer a commercial airport. The operating licence for TXL airport expired at midnight on 4 May 2021. Since 8 November 2020, flight operations in the capital region have been concentrated at Berlin Brandenburg Airport in Schönefeld. 

• In May, the Supervisory Board of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH (FBB) appoints Aletta von Massenbach as CEO of FBB with effect from 1 October 2021. Former Airport CEO Engelbert Lütke Daldrup had asked the Supervisory Board in March 2021 to terminate his employment contract early, effective September 2021. 

• Jörg Simon becomes the new Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH with effect from 1 July 2021. He succeeds Rainer Bretschneider, who has been Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH since March 2017 and is leaving at his own request. 

• The last meeting of the Supervisory Board of Berliner Flughafen-Gesellschaft (BFG) takes place in June 2021. The supervisory body approves a merger of BFG with the parent company Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH (FBB). 

• In July, easyJet presents its future plans for BER: after 17 years of local commitment, the airline is continuing to invest in the location and plans to build a hangar for the maintenance of its European fleet at BER. Construction work on the new hangar is scheduled to start in autumn 2021, with maintenance operations planned to begin in early 2023. 

• On 23 July, more than 51,000 passengers are handled at BER. This means that the number of passengers exceeds 50,000 in a single day for the first time since the start of the coronavirus crisis. Although passenger numbers are still well below the figures for the 2019 summer travel season, which saw up to 120,000 passengers on peak days, only around 30,000 passengers were counted on the main travel days in 2020. 

• On 4 August, the Tegel Airport site, with its 130 buildings and facilities, will be returned to its owners. From 5 August, Tegel Projekt GmbH is responsible for the entire site, where a research and industrial park for urban technologies is to be built. 

• Construction work on the easyJet hangar in the western part of BER begins on 23 September 2021. Maintenance operations are scheduled to start in early 2023. 

• On 31 October 2021, Berlin Brandenburg Airport is turning one year old. A total of eight million passengers have used the new Terminal 1 under the conditions of the corona pandemic. A total of 74 airlines have flown to more than 160 destinations in 53 countries. Around 24,400 tonnes of freight have been handled at BER.

• On 10 November, Dietz Airport Hotels Grundbesitz GmbH and FBB celebrate the topping-out ceremony for the IntercityHotel at BER. Construction of the hotel is scheduled for completion and commissioning in early 2023. 

• A total of 9.95 million passengers took off or landed at BER in 2021. That was almost 900,000 passengers more than the year before, but less than a third in comparison to the record year of 2019, when 35.65 million passengers boarded a plane. The first half of 2021 started slowly with 1.59 million passengers from January to June. The urge to travel increased significantly with the start of the summer holidays in Berlin and Brandenburg. A total of 8.36 million people travelled via BER in the second half of the year. October was the month with the highest number of travellers with 1.7 million passengers.

On your marks, get set, test! Registration for the trial operation for extras starts in January at ber-testen.de. Employees of the airport company and process partners such as airlines, the Federal Police, customs, and ground handling service providers will be prepared for the start of operations at BER in trial operations from the end of April. The trial operation with around 400 extras per day started at the beginning of July 2020. In total, over 24,000 employees and 9,897 extras were able to get to know BER on 47 trial operation days. Around 179,000 pieces of baggage and 54,000 bookings for 2,350 flights contributed to a realistic impression of the airport.

In the wake of the Corona crisis and the global slump in air traffic in spring 2020, Berlin's airports also recorded a drastic decline in passenger numbers: While in 2019 an average of around 100,000 passengers travelled through Tegel and Schoenefeld every day, in spring and autumn 2020 there were sometimes fewer than 1,000 a day. In 2020, a total of 9.1 million passengers were handled.

The lower building supervisory (untere Bauaufsichtsbehörde) authority of the Dahme-Spreewald district confirms the completion of Terminal 1 at BER on 28 April 2020 following the completion of construction work. The building is thus released for use.

Completion of the service building of the Federal Police on 31 July 2020.

In August 2020, the security perimeter is activated at Berlin Brandenburg Airport in accordance with Section 8 of the Aviation Security Act and a security search is carried out (Cleaning).

At the end of August 2020, the fire protection and evacuation exercise in the airport station and terminal will be successfully carried out.

Completion of Terminal 2 at the end of September 2020. The terminal building will not be put into operation for the time being due to the slump in passenger numbers.

The move from Tegel Airport to BER T1 and T5 respectively from T5 to T1 took place in three major relocation steps. To ensure a smooth opening, the move was started well before the start of operations. The aim was to spread out the volume of the move so that as little furniture, equipment and apparatus as possible had to be moved during the actual nights of the move.

Opening of the station "Airport BER Terminal 1-2" on 25 October 2020.

In the night from 24 to 25 October, the previous three-letter code "SXF" of Schoenefeld Airport was replaced by the code "BER" in the flight booking systems. The existing facilities at Schönefeld Airport will continue to operate as BER's Terminal 5.

The capital region's new airport bears the name of Willy Brandt, one of the outstanding statesmen of the 20th century. On 30 October 2020, the namesake was honoured with the ceremonial unveiling of the memorial wall in Terminal 1 in the run-up to the opening.

Just open: On 31 October 2020, Terminal 1 of Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt (BER) opened with the arrival of the first two aircraft from easyJet and Lufthansa. After landing on BER's northern runway, passengers including easyJet CEO Johan Lundgren and Deutsche Lufthansa AG CEO Carsten Spohr were welcomed to Terminal 1 by Airport CEO Engelbert Lütke Daldrup. The symbolic opening ceremony, which took place in a very small circle due to the ongoing Corona pandemic, was also attended by the Minister President of the State of Brandenburg, Dietmar Woidke, the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller, as well as the Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, Andreas Scheuer MdB, and the Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Rainer Bretschneider. On the evening of 31 October, the first arriving commercial flights were welcomed at Terminal 1. On the morning of 1 November, the first easyJet flight to London Gatwick took off from Terminal 1.

With the landing of Qatar Airways flight QR81 from Doha, BER's southern runway opened on 4 November 2020. With the commissioning of the southern runway, BER is thus fully operational, the night flight regulation comes into force and the six-month period for the final closure of Tegels Airport begins.

On 8 November 2020, Air France flight AF1235 was the last aircraft to take off from Berlin-Tegel Airport "Otto Lilienthal", or TXL for short. At 3 p.m., an Air France Airbus A320-200 took off in the direction of Paris Charles de Gaulle. This marked the end of flight operations at Tegel and all air traffic in the capital region is now concentrated at BER. The airport site was symbolically handed over to the city of Berlin. According to the valid zoning decision for Berlin Brandenburg Airport, Berlin-Tegel Airport must be kept operational for another six months after BER is fully operational. During this time, however, no more flights will take place at Tegel.

In November 2020, passenger numbers will decline again due to the second lockdown and the massive travel restrictions due to the Covid 19 pandemic. In the first month after the opening of BER, a total of 213,000 passengers took off or landed at BER. In October 2020, both Schönefeld and Tegel airports recorded a total of 581,322 passengers. One year earlier, in November 2019, 2,544,833 passengers were handled at the two airports Schoenefeld and Tegel. In comparison, the number of passengers in November 2020 fell by 91.6 per cent.