• Germany edition
National
Photo: DPA

Mega move to new Berlin airport begins

Published: 11 Apr 12 09:58 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20120411-41867.html

The biggest move in recent German history has begun with staff at Berlin’s two airports starting to pack up 55,000 cubic metres of equipment ready to move to the capital’s new international airport.

The move will be even bigger and more complex than the 1999 move of the German government from Bonn to Berlin, organisers say.

At least 2,800 truck journeys will have to be made from the old airports to the new one before June 3, when the Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brandt airport will open its check-in desks for the first flights.

What has started this week with potted plants and stationary will culminate in one huge “night of nights” between June 2 and 3, when more than 600 truck-loads of crucial gear and a fleet of 60-tonne plane transporters will be shifted to the new airport in one night.

Tegel airport, in the north of the city, will shut in the next few weeks. Schönefeld, in the south east, will be fusing with Brandenburg.

“It is the first time that two airports will move overnight,” said spokesman for the €2.5 billion new airport, Leif Erichsen.

Schönefeld will continue running alongside the new airport, which will become the third largest in the country behind Frankfurt and Munich.

Officials have acknowledged the risks of such a move, Erichsen said, referring to the opening of a new terminal at London Heathrow that left thousands of irate travellers without baggage.

And with the attitude that “an airport is a little city,” airport officials are hoping that under the guidance of experts summoned from Munich who have advised on airport mergers worldwide, everything will go smoothly.

“Our aim is try to minimise areas where logistics might go awry,” said Erichsen. But he admitted “something will still go wrong.”

The “night of nights,” will see large sections of motorway closed across the city to allow trucks to roll through with the last vital pieces of the new airport.

Around 40,000 jobs are expected to be created through the opening of the new airport, which officials hope will become a global gateway to Europe.

DPA/The Local/jcw

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

14:31 April 11, 2012 by Jeffvm
>Schönefeld will continue running alongside the new airport

Are you sure? The terminal will be closed, only the runway will be used afaik. So it will not continue running.
15:12 April 11, 2012 by catjones
Unless there's a trucker's strike...then poetic justice.
16:42 April 12, 2012 by Sayer
It looks like the Berlin Hauptbanhoff in this picture. No doubt they will be beset with all of the hiccups the station did too. Now if we could just get those workers to try to comprehend the notion of "Customer Service" it would be wonderful. Instead of their haughty, "****-you!" attitude they currently have at Tegel. It's like the Wall never fell!
15:45 April 13, 2012 by bizeng
This new airport is an environmental catastrophe! No other recently-built "international" airport has dared to build so close to a densely populated area (Stansted, Charles de Gaul and Munich are far away from metropolitan areas), with such damage to the lives and health of hundreds of thousands.Your claim of 40000 jobs is unsubstantiated--most jobs will be only moved from one placed to another. I find it amazing that so man self-styled "greens" and "socialists" have a belief bordering on fetish worship (as the cargo-cult does) that by blasting ever more CO2 into the upper atmosphere, we can rescue Berlin's moribund fashion-based economy. Thousands must suffer so that money can be earned in the airport fast-food court (bought by Russian oligarchs stopping over on their way to Monaco) and so that "greens" can enjoy fresh strawberries from South Africa and fly off in jets to their countless vacations.
17:29 April 13, 2012 by McNair Kaserne
All this closing of Tempelhof, closing of Tegel, expenditure of billion of Euro's on a new airport is utter quatsch. A massive waste of available resource in favor of a new airport whose supposed benefits are completely theoretical. I have no doubt that we will see the newly available real estate made available to developers who will rake in large profits, so once again the people's resources which are bought and paid for already by their taxes will be stolen from them in the name of progress, and re-distributed to clever people who stage manage the whole thing.
ADD YOUR COMMENT   (YOU MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER TO MAKE A COMMENT)
Today's headlines
Photo: DPA

Did Merkel's politics hurt Germany at Eurovision?

Eurovision Song Contest favourite Denmark won the competition on Saturday night, while Germany plunged to 21st place – the worst showing in five years – amidst speculation that it was payback for Angela Merkel’s hated policies. READ () »

Photo: DPA

Police warn against high-tech Islamist attacks

The Federal Criminal Police Office is warning of a new type of Islamist terrorist threat from the air that could attack both passenger and cargo planes as well as airport facilities, the Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported. READ () »

Photo: DPA

Some fear inflation if small euro coins cut

European Union proposals to eliminate one and two cent euro coins is annoying some Germans, including a few at the Bundesbank, while others think an EU idea to introduce one and two-euro notes is a good one. READ () »

Photo: DPA

Boy dies at Tropical Islands swimming pool

A 15-year-old boy died on Saturday at the popular “Tropical Islands” swimming and entertainment centre outside of Berlin, the Bild newspaper reported. READ () »

Photo: DPA

Wagner descendant slams composer

As the musical world lavishly celebrates Richard Wagner's bicentenary, the composer's great-grandson insists he is no spoilsport by denouncing the German master as a narcissist, woman-hater and an anti-Semite. READ () »

Photo: DPA

Bayern wins, Dortmund loses ahead of CL Final

If Saturday’s play was any barometer of what may happen at the Champions League final this coming Saturday, then Borussia Dortmund should be very nervous indeed. READ () »

Photo: DPA

Most Germans optimistic about the future

Although less than 50 percent of Germans are optimistic about their current situation, more than half think their future will be better and the number of pessimists in the country dropped, a survey released on Saturday showed. READ () »

Photo: DPA

Organic food stores expand rapidly

Organic food and health stores are undergoing a hefty expansion in Germany, with the Vitalia chain taking over several locations from the bankrupt Schlecker drugstore chain in Munich alone. READ () »

More National
RECEIVE OUR NEWSLETTER AND ALERTS
  1. Burning ship had tonnes of radioactive material »
  2. No child support if dad is anonymous sperm donor »
  3. 'L
    Highlights
    Photo: DPA Photo: DPA Photo: DPA Photo: DPA Photo: DPA Photo: DPA Photo: M&S Photo: Private Photo: Katie Needs Photo: DPA Photo: DPA Photo: A Peoples' Picture Photo: Private Photo: DPA Photo: Private Photo: DPA Photo: DPA Photo: DPA Furniture Leasing Corporation Photo: Henrik Trygg/imagebank.sweden.se



    Latest news from The Local in France

    More news from France at thelocal.fr

    Latest news from The Local in Norway

    More news from Norway at thelocal.no

    Latest news from The Local in Sweden

    More news from Sweden at thelocal.se

    Latest news from The Local in Switzerland

    More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch

    See all ads | Join the Marketplace

    Jobs in Germany, in English

    785 jobs available
    604 new jobs this week
    28 new jobs today

    ALL JOBS »

    Blog
    Essentials

    Dating
    Looking for your own blonde bombshell? Or is the strong, silent type more your style? Find a German sweetheart here.

    Weather
    "After clouds comes clear weather," say the Germans. But what about after that? Find out in The Local's weather section.

    Blog
    German stuff that's distracting us today.

    Noticeboard
    Whether you want to buy, sell, hire, announce or promote something, here's the place to do it - completely free of charge.

    Discuss
    Debate the news, ask for advice, make friends - or just let off steam.

    Search News


    Register

    Register now for:
    > Free use of noticeboard
    > Special discounts
    > Weekly news roundup
    > Unlimited use of discuss

    REGISTER FOR FREE »

    News from the Goethe-Institut
    News from Young Germany
    • German first feature film in Cannes
      A directorial debut from Germany makes it to the competition “Un Certain Regard” at the famous film festival on the Côte d’Azur.
    • Traveling Germany: Europa-Park
      Think theme parks:Roller coasters, colorful rides, entertainment, thrills. Think Germany: Europa-Park is the largest amusement park in the country, second in Europe only to Disneyland Paris.
    • Frankfurt – the digital hub
      The Internet hub in Frankfurt am Main is the largest in the world and places Germany in a leading position in the digital world.
    • The European Year of Citizens
      2013 is the European Year of Citizens. They‘re invited to contribute their ideas for the EU, and to discover more about their rights as EU citizens. An example: labour mobility.
    • Neuschwanstein Castle: In Photos
      Neuschwanstein is the most popular tourist attraction in Germany. And for good reason. King Ludwig II's castle looks like it fell out of a book of fairy tales.
    News from DeutschlandOnline

Toytown Germany
Germany's English-speaking crowd
Trade CFDs with InterTrader.com
Start trading shares, equities, forex, etc. No commission on equities; Low min. margins. Apply for a CFDs account now!
Little house in Spain
'Charming, old, beamed cottage for holiday let in Jesus Pobre, Alicante, Spain
www.littlehouseinspain.com/
Albatross Insurance
Professional and qualified consultancy on all insurance and finance matters in Germany, Telephone: +49 2163 571 1740, Email: bg@albatross-assurance.com
www.albatross-assurance.com
Hotel reservations in Berlin
Visiting Berlin anytime soon? Book your hotel in Berlin here.
Rental apartments in Berlin
For home-from-home holiday accommodation, search for a Berlin apartment to rent.