Still a building site. Photo: DPA

Schönefeld airport to get new name for re-opening

Published: 23 Aug 09 11:55 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20090823-21439.html

Berlin’s Schönefeld airport will get a new name when current extension work is completed, but the city remains uncertain over what it will be.

The working title, Berlin-Brandenburg International, or BBI, is not going to be retained, with politicians and project managers keen to have a more catchy, exciting name when it opens in autumn 2011.

A design agency has already been commissioned to develop an image for the airport, which will be the third-largest in Germany, and the name of former Chancellor Willy Brandt is among those being considered.

“It must be a name that has an international image, and yet also meets a broad consensus in the region,” Berlin’s state economy senator Harald Wolf said.

Advertising expert Volker Nickel said that the name BBI has "absolutely no charm" and should not be considered as a permanent moniker.

He said the eventual name will have to be internationally understood. “Japanese and Chinese people will have to be able make something of it,” he added.

The name Schönefeld – which is the small town near the airport, just outside the Berlin city limits in the state of Brandenburg – will not be considered due to the umlaut which makes it difficult for non-Germans to spell and pronounce.

And calling the airport simply Berlin would also probably be controversial as it is actually in Brandenburg.

The decision will be made by a supervisory council which will include representatives of the federal government as well as those of Berlin and Brandenburg states. Names other than Willy Brandt being discussed include Marlene Dietrich and Albert Einstein.

After opening in its bigger form, the airport will become Berlin's only air traffic hub. The historic Tempelhof airport has already been closed, and Tegel airport is due to be phased out when the new airport debuts.

DPA/The Local (news@thelocal.de)

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14:24 August 23, 2009 by pepsionice
I vote Einstein International.
18:03 August 23, 2009 by goody
I think it should be named Branderlin
19:39 August 23, 2009 by Darkknight
I say save the time and money they are spending on this naming / design agency

en devour and just keep it Berlin-Brandenburg International. The name is already

associated with the new airport and has a name that is catch'y..
21:41 August 23, 2009 by Celeon
I think the name of a famous person is a good idea. Short , easy to remember, everyone knows them.

Maybe the name of a famous aviator ?

Richthofen International ? Immelmann International ?

Lilienthal would propably be too complex to speak out for many people. So he is out.
13:51 August 24, 2009 by Portnoy
My suggestions:

Job Center Int'l or Harz IV Planes.

That would reflect the character of Berlin more.
14:38 August 24, 2009 by petenick
Albert Einstein is my choice! Great man for great city!
16:03 August 24, 2009 by murphaph
I vote Einstein International.
In theory that could work but it's all relative. Would it also change from SXF to EMC?
16:11 August 24, 2009 by murphaph
[quote name='Celeon' date='23.Aug.2009, 9:41pm' timestamp='1251056469' post='1745652']I think the name of a famous person is a good idea. Short , easy to remember, everyone knows them.

Maybe the name of a famous aviator ?
16:12 August 24, 2009 by Krieg
Lilienthal would propably be too complex to speak out for many people. So he is out.
And it might be confusing because that's already the name from the other airport in Berlin, you know, Berlin Tegel "Otto Lilienthal".
18:42 August 24, 2009 by Celeon
Tegel has the byname Otto Lilienthal ?

Never knew that !

@ murphaph

Its Messerschmitt not Messerschmidt ;-)
19:07 August 24, 2009 by murphaph
Thanks Celeon, +1 for you!
19:56 August 24, 2009 by lightcycle
Sternberg Pfand International
16:40 August 25, 2009 by Celeon
Im only in for the name Willy Brandt if it also gets a Günther Guillaume terminal. :-D
21:33 August 25, 2009 by lordkorner
My kids would love it to be called the Peter Fox International, and as much as I enjoy his great Berlin hip hop,I'd have to go with the Einstein International
15:36 August 31, 2009 by gordonthemoron
they could call it Tempelhof
08:59 September 17, 2009 by Chocky
'Die yuppie scheisser aaagh ich brauche mehr geld für Bier' International Flugzeug airport!!!
02:42 September 18, 2009 by hugolover
I think HRH Klaus Wowereit International 'Pink but sexy' Airport.
09:04 September 18, 2009 by mikebenda
Like Madonna and Prince, just call it "Airport".
09:28 September 18, 2009 by rick_de
Germania?

Or why not just cut all the long winded Berlin-Brandenburg-International crap and call it "Berlin Airport".
11:42 September 18, 2009 by paulbb
Michael Jackson International.

"Fasten your seatbelts, please ladies and gentlemen, we're about to land in Michael Jackson..."
16:03 September 19, 2009 by darkman13
I think they should name him "Conrad Adenauer"; because the german people have choosen him to be the greatest german of all times.
11:58 September 25, 2009 by Steven192
Germania?

Or why not just cut all the long winded Berlin-Brandenburg-International crap and call it "Berlin Airport".
And in keeping with the German habit of always adding a second title to things,

see any film or TV title, they could then call it Berlin Airport "Alfred Einstein"

AND in keeping with the European ideal they could swap the name every 6 months/ 1 year,

see EU president, and honour as many people as they see fit.

Win/win there.
16:31 March 25, 2010 by splitradix
Explodia.
22:37 March 25, 2010 by dcgi
Ortwodieflugzeugekommenundgehen airport
22:43 March 25, 2010 by TroutKing
I think they should name him "Conrad Adenauer"; because the german people have choosen him to be the greatest german of all times.
Good idea, but that's already the official name of Cologne/Bonn (CGN). (Adenauer was a Kölner.)
08:14 March 26, 2010 by JeffZ
Actually, if anyone's interested, they're going to name it after former Chancellor Willy Brandt. However, this name will stay in the background (much like very few people know that Tegel is named after pioneering aviator Otto Lilienthal) - the official moniker will remain Berlin-Brandenburg International (BBI).
08:38 March 26, 2010 by jmjdk
In theory that could work but it's all relative. Would it also change from SXF to EMC?
The airport code EMC has not been taken as yet, but they are closing in:

EMB - (Embarkadero) Embarkadero, United States

EMD - (Emerald) Emerald, Australia
18:48 March 26, 2010 by msalama
Yah, say Leonard Cheshire Intl would be sooo fitting for Berlin

But seriously, the guy _was_ in charity bigtime after the war, and turned into a conscientious pacifist too, so why not?
16:11 March 31, 2010 by Lear
See new topic : Berlin Brandenburg Airport "Willy Brandt"
16:19 March 31, 2010 by Lear
Opening in October 2011 the new airport in Schönefeld seems to become a beauty...

[URL="http://www.berlin-airport.de/DE/Presse/Mediathek/Videoarchiv/BBITerminal/index.html">Here is an excellently animated video of the future main terminal[/URL]

16:25 March 31, 2010 by poppet
Given that the bars in Schenefeld used to be great for getting legless, why not Douglas Robert Stuart Bader airport? He even had a german sounding surname?

Several years ago Hamburg Fühlsbuttel invited tenders for a new airport name as apparently all these touries were getting in taxis and couldn't pronounce Fühlsbuttel. Except no-one ever did that, they all said Flughafen or Airport. So after an 'Ausschreibung' costing several million teuros they decided on, drumroll, Hamburg Airport. Brilliant!
16:27 March 31, 2010 by UrbanAngel
I'm flying to Schoenefeld in May with Ryanair. Wanna bet they'll charge all their customers for changing the name of the airport on their tickets? Would be just like them!
16:29 March 31, 2010 by rheinmain
It is somewhat amazing that no one has sussed that ''AHI'' has already been taken http://www.world-airport-codes.com/indonesia/amahai-192.html.

-- Ann
15:52 April 3, 2010 by hannahdhc6666
As a berlinerin & an englander BBI is fine. it's stated that it will be or is to be close to rudow, off the bottom of the U7. Why are people who are NOT berliners contributing to this? Just curious. Also einstein international? Wie bitte? I'm not even going to comment on this. I thought it was going to be Flughafen Schonfeld International. Yet again Merkel & her b'(c)rats or me(e)rcats should we be or to call them can't decide on ANYTHING. Just like the uk government. Also to be finished by olympics start 2012? You're having a laugh aren't you? Das ist & berliner lebe.
22:35 April 11, 2010 by strahlungsamt
Here's another great preview of Schoenefeld Willy Brandt 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaXvFT_UyI8
19:31 July 27, 2010 by greenface222
Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport has the best name of any airport.
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