State governments in favor of more long-haul flights at BER
The state governments of Berlin and Brandenburg want to promote more long- and medium-haul connections at the capital's BER airport. "Berlin-Brandenburg Airport should be able to fulfill its function as a hub for eastern Germany," it said in a joint statement following a cabinet meeting of both governments at the Potsdam State Chancellery on Friday. Among other things, the two states will lobby the federal government to remove regulatory hurdles that stand in the way of additional take-off and landing rights.
According to the Berlin state government, around six long-haul flights take off from BER every day. Meanwhile, around 180 long-haul flights depart from airports in western Germany - particularly Frankfurt and Munich - every day.
According to the press release, Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey (SPD) said that BER's connections do not do justice to those of a capital city airport. "In terms of accessibility, we are clearly lagging behind other regions in western Germany." The people and companies in the region also expect more direct connections without unnecessary and ecologically questionable transfers, added Brandenburg's Minister of Economic Affairs Jörg Steinbach (SPD).
Flughafengesellschaft Berlin-Brandenburg (FBB) has been trying for years to attract more long-haul flights - with mixed success. Last year, the Norwegian low-cost airline Norse Atlantic added connections between Schoenefeld and Los Angeles, Florida and New York to its program, but has already cancelled at least the connections to the West Coast.
For years, the state of Berlin and the federal government have also been discussing an additional license for the airline Emirates, which would like to fly from BER but does not want to give up any other German locations to do so. "The talks are ongoing, but they are still not easy," said Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) a few weeks ago.
The state governments are advocating to the federal government to eliminate regulatory barriers, enabling more air traffic for long-haul flights at BER. The government's aim is to upgrade BER's status as a hub for eastern Germany, aligning it more closely with the extensive long-haul flight offerings at airports in western Germany.
Source: www.dpa.com
