Neelam Mathews
Dec 17, 2011
Berlin Airports will set a new passenger record this year. Having welcomed its 23 millionth passenger this week, Berlin Airports expect close to 24 million passengers in 2011 - a year-on-year growth of about 7%.
Dr Rainer Schwarz, CEO of Berlin Airports said: “For the ninth year in a row, traffic growth at Berlin Airports was higher than the average for all German airports. Our continuous growth in the past years has laid an outstanding foundation for the future Berlin Brandenburg Airport.”
Trial operations at Berlin Brandenburg Airport began successfully on Nov 24. Employees from airlines, security services, ground handlers and the airport are currently testing all operational procedures, and everyday ground and flight operations from check-in to security inspections to boarding are being simulated. The objective is to take advantage of the six-month trial period to identify and address any potential issues ahead of the opening of the new airport next June.
The new Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt will start as planned on June 3 2012, Scheduled flights are prohibited between midnight and 5.00am.”
airberlin and Lufthansa have announced an expansion to their presence in Berlin. Beginning in May 2012, airberlin will also offer a new long-haul flight from Berlin: the airline will be flying non-stop to Los Angeles three times a week with the beginning of next year’s summer schedule. Lufthansa announced 30 new destinations from Berlin for next summer and will increase the number of aircraft based in Berlin from nine to fifteen.
Construction at Berlin Brandenburg Airport is entering the final phase, with more then 5,500 construction workers currently working to complete the airport. Dr Manfred A Körtgen, managing director of operations/BBI of Berlin Airports: “Even now, in its construction phase, Berlin Brandenburg Airport is acting as the engine driving the region’s economy. From June 2012, 20,000 people will be employed at Berlin Brandenburg Airport, making it the largest workplace in the region.”
The next phase of the trial operation involving 10,000 “airport testers” from Berlin and Brandenburg will commence in February. More than 18,000 have already registered their interest. The new airport will be put through its paces in test runs until May. The transport of equipment and systems from Tegel and Schönefeld to the new airport will being in April 2012.
A chapter in Berlin’s aviation history comes to an end on June 2 2012: The two current airports Tegel and Schönefeld will be closed.
No comments:
Post a Comment