GERMANY. Berlin Brandenburg Airport management has said that it can only assume around 30% of pre-crisis passenger traffic levels in 2021. This comes amid a second COVID-19 lockdown in Germany and many other European states, with expectations of a slow recovery next year.
Passenger traffic has fallen sharply with the latest shutdown of travel in mid-October and is now only around 10% of 2019 levels. Passenger volumes for the year in Berlin are expected to reach 9 million, compared to 10 million previously forecast. The airport company said it would require financial aid of €300 million to overcome the loss of income for 2020 alone.
Looking to next year, Berlin Brandenburg Airport said in a statement: “The second corona wave influences the way 2021 is viewed. Like all other German airports, Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg (FBB) must assume that passenger numbers for 2021 will remain low. The German Airport Association ADV predicts a 2021 traffic volume of only one-third of that in 2019. FBB has also adjusted its expectations after the second lockdown.
“The corona pandemic poses such a serious turning point in the aviation industry that the medium- and long-term developments are currently unpredictable and can only be interpreted in general terms. However, it is generally expected that air traffic will recover in the medium term and that the need and desire to fly will further increase.”
From next Spring, Terminal 5, which was formerly Berlin Schönefeld Airport, will close for one year. As reported, the new airport Terminal 1 opened on 31 October. Due to the small amount of air traffic, the southern runway will also be put out of operation temporarily, said the airport company.
“Should the management’s predictions be confirmed and the air traffic from 2020 to 2021 not significantly grow, then it must be assumed that FBB will need a total of up to €660 million in financing, despite savings.”
Airport CEO Engelbert Lütke Daldrup said: “2021 is going to be one of the toughest years in the history of FBB. According to the predicted passenger numbers, no airport in Germany will be in the position to cover its operational costs. FBB is meeting the second corona wave in a situation in which we could have found a way out of these red numbers.
“Now, only two things can help us: The willingness of our shareholders to stand by us during this crisis, and the engagement of the company FBB to work as efficiently and economically as possible. Through a joint working effort, we will manage to position BER properly for an economic recovery of East Germany.”
