Lufthansa Group has announced it is moving all of its
airlines’ flights to the new Berlin Brandenburg airport (BER) from Tegel
starting 31 October – nine years after the hub was originally due to open.
The final scheduled departure from Tegel will be flight
LH1955 from Berlin to Munch on 7 November, with all of the group’s flights
taking off and landing at BER from 8 November starting with the 0630 LH173
service to Frankfurt.
Austrian Airlines, SWISS and Brussels airlines are included
in the move, with Eurowings’ first flight due to depart from BER on 4 November.
BER was originally due to open in 2011 but has suffered a number of setbacks, including problems with the fire security systems and the discovery of structural flaws in the terminal roof. It was intended to replace both Tegel and Schonefeld airports but may serve as an additional hub owing to rising passenger numbers.
The group has now changed its booking systems to reflect the
change, with passengers booking flights for 8 November or later seeing the new
BER airport code as their destination instead of Tegel. Passengers who have
already booked services after this date will be informed of the change and
rebooked, though the group plans to maintain the same departure and arrival
times at its new hub.
Harry Hohmeister, chief commercial officer passenger
airlines, said: “We care about Berlin. No one else connects Berlin with the
world like we do. Six Lufthansa Group airlines fly to the German capital – with
up to 33,000 passengers a day. 270 destinations can be reached with only one
transfer. Berlin is a fascinating and cosmopolitan city that attracts people
from all over the world. That is why Berlin needs an efficient airport. This
also includes even better connections between BER and local public transportation
as well as the long-distance rail network. More ICE connections to Rostock,
Dresden, or Hamburg could strengthen intermodal traffic. That would be good for
passengers and for the environment.”
Lufthansa will offer qualifying passengers access to its
lounge in Terminal 1.
According to the group, BER should not experience “the
significant bottlenecks at security checks that were recently the case at Tegel”.
Hohmeister continued: “It is important that the modernisation
of the airport continues in the future. The BER has to be competitive, both in
terms of quality and costs.”
lufthansa.com