Berlin’s airports post record high for passenger traffic despite “turbulent year”

GERMANY. Berlin’s two major airports handled 33.3 million passengers in 2017, a +1.3% rise compared to 2016 and a new annual record.

Berlin Schönefeld traffic climbed +10.4% to 12.9 million passengers, as it overtook Cologne-Bonn Airport in the national rankings. At Berlin Tegel, passenger numbers fell by -3.7% to 20.5 million.

Double-digit growth at Berlin Schönefeld Airport buoyed Gebr Heinemann’s business in the capital during 2017

Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg CEO Dr. Engelbert Lütke Daldrup said: “2017 was a turbulent year. We had months with double-digit growth, but also a total collapse in March due to the strikes, amongst other things. After airberlin’s termination, the flight numbers in Tegel sank massively. The fact that we have quite easily managed to grow despite these difficulties highlights both how attractive Berlin/Brandenburg is as a destination and the huge commitment of the airports’ staff, who have provided a reliable service, regardless of circumstance.”

In 2017, Berlin’s airports served 195 direct destinations. Highlights included Air Canada rouge’s maiden flight to Toronto and the return of Delta Air Lines with a route to New York. Other returning carriers included LOT Polish Airlines to Warsaw and Icelandair to Reykjavik. In 2018, easyjet expands its base at Tegel from 5 January, and Scoot will open a new route to Singapore from June.

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