Berlin Brandenburg International focuses on frequencies
Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) is the official Airport Partner of ITB Berlin 2023. An opportunity for ITB Berlin News to talk to Aletta von Massenbach, CEO BER Airport.
How has BER Airport performed in 2022 and what are your forecasts for this year?
After two years affected by Covid19, we recovered in 2022. Although the beginning of the year was still marked by the Omicron variant, we decided to open Terminal 2 in March 2022 to increase our capacity. It was in fact the right decision as travel restrictions were lifted and traffic picked up rapidly. We almost doubled our traffic from 2021 to 2022 with 19.85 million passengers. We expect further growth in 2023.
Could you tell more about new destinations this year?
In 2023, BER focus will be on more frequencies. We offered last summer 127 destinations but this year, passengers can reach 140 cities non-stop with more flights. We also welcome new routes, the most exciting being a non-stop flight to Washington DC by United Airlines.
We almost doubled our traffic from 2021 to 2022 with 19.9 million passengers
How is demand best served ?
Our goal is to strengthen point-to-point connections. The German capital region is a very popular destination for tourism and needs more direct flights for convenience. This summer will then witness increased direct connections to major European airports. To the United States, three airlines fly non-stop to New York and one to Washington.
What are some of the latest innovations put in place at BER Airport?
Last year, we were the first airport in Europe to launch “BER Runway”, a booking system providing an appointment for security checks. To shorten waiting times, we increased the number of bag-drop machines and the total of self-service check-in kiosks to around 120. These measures helped maintaining a stable quality of service. Our latest initiative is called “Sunflower” to support guests with disabilities. It helps airport staff identifying which travellers need assistance.
How important is BER Airport’s physical presence at ITB 2023?
We missed ITB Berlin and all its visitors. The excitement to meet again demonstrates that, no matter how convenient video calls are, this is no replacement for face-to-face contacts. We at BER Airport know the importance of ITB Berlin for the industry. This is the reason why we teamed up as the Official Airport Partner and welcome every guest on „booth 303a“ in „hub27“.
New hotel opening at BER
In January, the BER Airport has a brand new hotel: the 3-star IntercityHotel Berlin Airport BER has opened its doors, offering guests 360 rooms, 5 meeting and conference rooms, a sauna and fitness area, as well as a restaurant and hotel bar. Terminals 1 and 2 at BER Airport are within walking distance.
