Berlin Brandenburg Airport Set To Finally Open On Saturday

Nine years and one day past the original opening date, Berlin’s new Brandenburg Airport (BER), will finally start opeartions. On October 31, Terminal 1 will open its doors to the public. A week later, on November 7, all remaining flights will be transferred from Tegel Airport to Brandenburg.

The grand opening is all about terminal 1 which is the main building of the new airport. It will eventually consist of three different terminals, the first two of which are right next to each other. The third terminal, called terminal five, is a combination of old buildings once belonging to Schönefeld Airport. The old terminal was officially renamed terminal five on October 25. Terminal two is specifically designed for low-cost airlines. However, in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, this terminal will remain closed for the time being as capacity is not yet needed.

The new airport will take on the task of all Berlin airports. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, there were three major airports in Berlin: Tegel, Schönefeld and Tempelhof. The new airport is built next to Schönefeld Airport, making the transition quite easy. Tempelhof already closed to flights in 2008 and is now a national reserve. Until now, Tegel Airport remained a completely independent airport. A week after the opening on October 31, all flights that still fly to and from Tegel will be transferred to Brandenburg.

The last landing at Tegel airport will be performed by Air France. The French airline will therefore be the first and last airline to ever land on Tegel. The first landing at the new Brandenburg Airport will be a parallel landing by Lufthansa and easyJet on the north and south runways. These airlines are also set to be the main users of the new airport.

Take a look around the new airport below:

Earlier this year, around 400 volunteers tested various processes at Brandenburg Airport: