Berlin Airports showed a record growth in 2007, when over 20 million passengers flew to and from Berlin, setting it to rank third nationwide in terms of passenger volume.
At a rate of over eight per cent, Berlin Airports is growing much faster than average commercial airports in Germany, according to a company official.
In 2007, a total of 86 airlines landed at the three Berlin airports of Schoenefeld in the south, Tegal which is referred to as the business airport and Tempelhof is the birthplace of aviation and part of aviation history.
Berlin served a total of 162 destinations in 50 countries in 2007, of which 121 were in Europe. With non stop flights to New York and Bangkok the range of long haul flights offered is constantly improving. Since February 1, the Arabian airline Qatar Airways has been connecting the German capital with Doha daily, where onward flights serve the Middle and Far East as well as the Indian subcontinent and Africa.
Berlin Airports guarantees the air traffic infrastructure for the capital region of Berlin Brandenburg with the airports Schoenefeld, Tegel and Tempelhof. From 2011, all air traffic will flow through the new Capital Airport Berlin Brandenburg International BBI.
The BBI concept envisages a modern airport with short distances where the terminal is located between the two parallel runways. BBI will be a new-generation airport: inexpensive, functional and cosmopolitan with a modern industrial architecture.
BBI will be able to provide business travellers, tourists and companies with an airport that offers the best connections, international flights, direct motorway access and a railway station directly below the terminal.
BBI is intended to be an airport at the heart of Europe with a strong focus on European point-to-point traffic and selected long-haul connections. Berlin Airports traditionally has a strong focus toward Eastern Europe. With the expansion of the EU to the east this tendency has been reinforced.
In addition, the favourable location in Central Europe is strategically advantageous – flight times to Eastern Europe and Asia are one hour less than the established hubs in the west of the continent.
Berlin Airports and Berlin Tourismus Marketing recently held joint roadshows in April in various Arabian Gulf states, with the intention of highlighting the German capital’s attributes. This year’s programme included stops in Doha, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi and, for the first time, also the Saudi Arabian cities of Riyadh and Jeddah. Other partners involved in this event were Qatar Airways, the German Tourist Board in Dubai, Maritim Hotel Berlin, The Regent Hotel Berlin, The Ritz Carlton Berlin, Alpha Travel Consultants and also the Network for Better Medical Care (NBMC).
The five day event offered trade visitors from the Arab tourism and aviation industry the opportunity to get to know Berlin through presentations, workshops and press conferences.
“Metropolitan Berlin is an attractive destination for tourists from Arab countries. Culture, lifestyle, shopping, wellness or exclusive hotels – Berlin offers quality conscious customers a host of options,” says Burkhard Kieker, marketing manager of Berlin Airports.
“What’s more, with its many woodlands and lakes, the capital city region Berlin Brandenburg is a green oasis for nature lovers right on the capital’s doorstep.”
Large sums are currently being invested to develop the Arab region into an important hub for business and tourist travel, which is why it is a key growth market for Berlin Airports. Since February 1, the Arabian airline Qatar Airways has been connecting the German capital with Doha, where onward flights serve the Middle and Far East as well as the Indian subcontinent and Africa.