First plane takes off at Berlin's new airport, but 14 years late
At 6:45 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, 2020, the first plane took off from the new airport in [...]
easyJet
BER
At 6:45 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, 2020, the first plane took off from Berlin's new airport, the Brandeburg Willy Brandt that we will all learn to know as BER.
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The new airport will replace within a couple of weeks the two old airports-Tegel and Schonenfeld (it shares a runway with the latter; the terminals were built on the opposite side, closer to the city center).
The construction of the airport was not the classic perfect German-style operation, quite the contrary. Between failures, design errors, and shoddy materials, it looks more like a classic Italian grand opera rather than the new "flagship" of Germany's capital.
For the annals of history, the first flight to take off at the new airport was an Easy Jet low-cost flight bound for London.
Ein kleiner Rückblick auf den gestrigen Tag und die ersten Abflüge vom BER. 😍 #helloBER pic.twitter.com/v3t598pSj0
- BER - Berlin Brandenburg Airport (@berlinairport) November 2, 2020
The airport is capable of accommodating all types of aircraft (it would be missed given that it cost "just" 4 billion more than planned).
Only one of the two terminals is currently operational, but not at full service, due to the pandemic and the partial lockdown in Germany.
The lounges at the new airport
Lufthansa's senator and business lounge is still closed and probably will not open anytime soon, given the low traffic in recent months and the closures of many lounges at all of Germany's smaller airports.
But there is not only bad news, as all the Passengers holding priority passes will have two lounges available in terminal 1.
The first (Tempelhof), located in zone A, has been operational since day one, can accommodate up to 200 people, and offers all appropriate waiting room services. The second (Tegel), located on the opposite side of the terminal, is not yet open; it will be in the spring.
