Schoenefeld airport, which is located near the town of Schoenefeld in Brandenburg, directly at the southern border of Berlin and some 11 miles southeast of the city centre, is being developed as the Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport (BBI). 

Schoenefeld was the major civil airport of East Germany (the former German Democratic Republic) and the only airport serving East Berlin.  It is today one of the two Berlin airports, the other being Tegel.  Noise pollution, which is an issue for Tegel airport because of its close proximity to the city, is not much of an issue for Schoenefeld which is located on the outskirts and also does not face space constraints for future expansion.

Air Berlin, the low-cost carrier, announced that it would be strengthening its operations at Berlin airports – both Schoenefeld and Tegel – from summer.  Speaking at a press conference at the recent ITB Berlin show, Christoph Debus, Air Berlin’s chief commercial officer said: “2010 will see Air Berlin convert Berlin into a hub, thus laying the foundations for future growth.”

Tegel airport, which many critics describe as a “creaky old airport” which is bursting at the seams and cannot accommodate the new generation of aircraft, has served as the main point for flights arriving into and departing from Berlin.  Air Berlin is expected to deploy 22 aircraft to offer some 6,000 flight connections from and to Berlin.  The airline will also fly to nine new destinations from Tegel as well as Schoenefeld airports from summer.

Rainer Schwarz, CEO of Berlin Airports, described Air Berlin’s decision to make Berlin a hub as a “key strategic decision, especially in light of the opening of BBI next year”.

Juggling with figures, Schwarz said that in 2009, some 20.97 million passengers had departed from Berlin airports.  “We have managed to keep passenger figures at a significant high, despite the financial crisis.  In 2009, passenger figures were down just two percent in the previous year, yet much better than the average commercial airport in Germany for the seventh year in a row.
Schwarz claimed that with 20.63 million passengers flying direct, Berlin is “only slightly” behind Munich airport which recorded 20.81 million.  “These figures put into perspective the rumour that there is insufficient economic potential in Berlin.  The basis for direct traffic is good.  Together with strong airline partners, we aim to double the percentage of transfers at BBI.” 

Apparently, Schwarz’s emphasis on Berlin’s hub status should also be seen as a response to the comments made in January by Lufthansa chief executive Wolfgang Mayrhuber who had refuted the possibility of Berlin becoming a hub, saying that there was no economic basis or source of business in Berlin.  But the BBI management says that Mayrhuber’s contention is repudiated by the passenger traffic which corresponded to the level of traffic in Munich.

Passenger figures in the first two months rose by a total of 4.2 percent. 1.4 million passengers were recorded in February at the Berlin airports, 2.7 percent more than in the same month of the previous year.  “With Air Berlin’s new hub and additional flights in the summer flight schedule as of late March 2010, the Berlin airports will accelerate growth again,” said Schwarz.

Berlin offers connections to 166 destinations this year.  Berlin will soon offer direct flights to Casablanca (Morocco).  Other international destinations to be offered include New York, Beijing, Doha, Bangkok, Phuket, Punta Cana, Puerto Plata, Varadero and Ulan Bator. 

Berlin is also keen to get Emirates to fly to Schoenefeld.  The Dubai based airline is trying to renegotiate the question of landing rights in Berlin. “2011 is a year of possible launch of Emirates but this has not yet been confirmed by the German Government,” Schwarz said.

The air-cargo business is of “great interest” to Berlin, as Schwarz put it.  Berlin’s cargo volume is currently the lowest amongst German airports.  “But we are making provision for cargo at the BBI.  We have cargo facility for handling, at least, 60,000 tons in the first phase, though the total capacity is for 600,000 tons at Schoenefeld,” Schwarz said.