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30 years after reunification, air traffic in Berlin and Brandenburg is concentrated at the location of the former GDR Schönefeld Airport. Tegel city center airport closes. The last machine should take off there on November 8.
The airport is synonymous with poor planning, mismanagement, oversight failures, and billions in wasting taxpayers’ money. The opening was postponed six times. The cost of construction and soundproofing for residents tripled to around six billion euros.
Due to the series of breakdowns, the operators in Berlin, Brandenburg and the federal government gave up an opening party. However, there were uninvited guests in the form of climate activists who, among other things, disguised as penguins, protested against the inauguration. Members of the group “Stay on the ground”, committed to reducing air traffic, moved from Willy-Brandt-Platz to the entrance of the new Terminal 1 and chanted “What do we want? Climate justice! When do we want it? ? Now!” It is about taking a position against the aviation industry, said a member of the group.
Directly in front of the entrance they formed the letters “#NO BER” with large cube-shaped balloons. At the same time, a second group blocked the stairs one floor below in Terminal 1. Several dozen members dressed as penguins were lying or sitting on the ground. Others clustered around him and held up signs that read, among other things, “Cool birds stay on the ground.”
A total of 250 people were involved in the actions, said Lena Tucnak, one of the group’s spokespersons. “Our goal is to paralyze the airport and massively disrupt the opening.” It cannot be that a new giant airport will open in times of climate crisis.
Other groups such as Fridays for Future or Extinction Rebellion had also announced protests. Among other things, it has started a bicycle demonstration from Platz der Luftbrücke to BER and a demonstration train from the old Schönefeld airport with the same objective.
The opening coincides with the worst aviation crisis since World War II, as it is called in the industry. Only a few thousand passengers per day are expected in Schönefeld for the next few weeks. Special machines from Easyjet and Lufthansa brought guests to the new terminal. The first passengers must register there on Sunday. Berlin’s tourism chief Burkhard Kieker was convinced on Saturday that the capital’s airport among major German airports would be the first to recover from the crown crisis. According to Kieker, Berlin is less dependent on business travelers than other airports.
Berlin, Brandenburg and the federal government decided in 1996 to expand the airport on the outskirts of the capital. The choice of location sparked protests and years of disputes over flight routes in the densely populated area. The closure of Tegel should relieve hundreds of thousands of residents from aircraft noise and create space for a new research and commercial location. The traditional Tempelhof Airport has been closed since 2008, the area is open to the public like a park.
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