Lufthansa
and Airberlin are scrambling to rearrange their newly expanded flight schedules
after Tuesday’s announcement that the opening of the city’s unified airport,
Berlin Brandenburg International, has been postponed indefinitely. The German
capital’s two existing airports, Tegel and Schönefeld, which were set to close
on June 2, the night before the new airport was to begin operations, now will remain
open until it is ready.
Lufthansa
was planning to quadruple the number of European and Middle Eastern routes
it flies from Berlin when it moved to Willy Brandt airport, as it is also
known. The airline also is increasing the number of aircraft it stations in the
city, to 15 from nine. Lufthansa said it hopes to stick with the planned
expansion and is in discussions with Tegel, its existing base in Berlin, about
obtaining additional temporary slots to accommodate its increased schedule.
However, Airberlin said it had been planning to coordinate its traffic into and
out of Willy Brandt in six daily waves, and would not be able to replicate this
strategy at Tegel. “It presents immense logistical problems for all involved
and will also cause additional costs which have yet to be calculated,” said
chief executive officer Hartmut Mehdorn.
Airport
management attributed the postponement to unresolved concerns over fire safety
arrangements. City mayor Klaus Wowereit said a rescheduled opening is being
considered for late
August.