Новото летище на Берлин - BER Airport

[cck]

Знам, знам... пътуващите хора ще кажат колко пък да е ново?

Проектите са започнали през 1991, строежът през 2006, а първото "откриване" е през 2011. От тогава все нещо не е наред и прехвърлят от година за година (wiki). Изобщо, излагация за немския инженерен ум и точност, многократно надхвърлила бюджет и срокове. Една статия разказва драмите в тази измъчената история.

Но сега вече са напът да стартират! Поне така казват официално:

https://www.berlin-airport.de/en/press/press-releases/2019/2019-11-29-aufsichtsrat/index.php

 

Откриването е за 31.10.2020, а от тази дата нататък местят поетапно полетите от Тегел (TXL). Да видим дали ще е така...

[epetkov]

преди 7 минути , cck каза:

първото "откриване" е през 2011

 Казваш, че  второто "откриване"  ще е на 31.10.2020. Ще видим.

 

Иначе, преди седмица  попаднах на  материал за  10 те летища, които се очакват да започнат работа през следващата година.  Интересното е, че там BER е на първо място. Може би по критерий  най-дълго чаканото летище. цък

[cck]

преди 1 минута , epetkov каза:

второто

Поне пето или шесто ще да е. Виж wiki. Надявам се този път да успеят...

Следя темата с интерес и ако разместят полетите догодина за есенно-зимния сезон от TXL, то може пък и да стане 🙂

[дядо Пепи]

Още докато летях редовно до Тегел, или Шьонефелд, германците се хвалеха, че новият им аеропорт ще удари в земята Франкфурт и Мюнхен. Доколкото си спомням щеше да се казва Вили Бранд и постепенно да се сдобие с три полоси. Но бая време мина от тогава, а за сега само мечти.  

[cck]

Преди 1 час, дядо Пепи каза:

щеше да се казва Вили Бранд и постепенно да се сдобие с три полоси

Пак така се казва. Полосите са там, построени отдавна. Те и терминалните сгради са налични, ама куп неуредици по тях през годините, та и до момента.

[epetkov]

Преди 1 час, cck каза:

Пак така се казва.

През годините имаше какви ли не призиви около  летището.  Най-радикалните бяха  да се прекръсти от "Вили Бранд"  на " Клаус Воверайт" цък

Немският депутат Йенс Кеппен  призова   да се  изравни със  земята: цък

[Topfly]

[epetkov]

Lufthansa Group анонсира пълното си  преминаване в BER  от  8ми ноември 2020 година: https://www.avianews.com/world/2020/03/04/lufthansagroup_to_move_to_berlin_brandenburg_airport/

[cck]

Съвсем скоро "с Акт 16" 🙂

Tüv в качеството си на строителен надзор са одобрили реконструкциите и BER е на финалната права и от към документи.

https://loyaltylobby.com/2020/04/21/berlins-infamous-ber-airport-receives-green-lights-of-inspectors-on-schedule-to-open-in-october-2020/

[Фил]

Ееее, най-после, той стана исторически този строеж, голям срам за дойчовците! 

[cck]

Вече SXF e преименуван на BER T5.

Утре ще са първите полети на Луфтханза и Изиджет до T1, което всъшност е официалното откриване.

До 07.11.2020 всички авиокомпании следва да са се преместили от TXL на BER.

Ако някой от пътниците си е зарязал автомобила на на TXL - има шатъл 🙂

 

https://ber.berlin-airport.de/en/news/2020-10-23-wo-geht-mein-flug.html

 

Май вече настана време да им честитим не германците изстраданата придобивка.

И дано повече такива положителни новини да има за авиоиндустрията в Европа...

[epetkov]

Има нещо символично, че  цялата ненормалност около BER ще приключи в  ненормалната година.

[Djgeorgie]

Добре започват. Днес статията във FT е: Berlin’s ‘laughing stock’ airport to finally open to passengers. Дори и левия Guardian е в същия тон: 'We were a laughing stock': Berlin airport finally finished as Covid bites. Дано поне, като открият официално утре, всичко да е наред и да няма някакви сериозни проблеми, та да може тая 14 годишна драма най-накрая да приключи.

[Zaro]

преди 4 часа, cck каза:

Вече SXF e преименуван на BER T5.

Значи много хора вече са били на ВЕR T5 😀

[epetkov]

За мен BER T5  е по-правилно да се нарича  "Schönefeld - BER T5", за да се изостри вниманието на пасажерите от неЕС-страни, че това са два  различни терминала, които не са свързани помежду си с транзитен коридор.  На практика без шенгенска виза неЕС гражданите няма да може да правят  връзки  BER T5<--> BER.

[Иван Попов]

Берлин се сбогува с летище "Тегел"

Последният редовен пътнически полет от берлинското летище "Тегел" бе изпълнен снощи, с което бе сложен край на 60-годишната служба на аеропорта, предаде ДПА.

Стотици дойдоха, за да се сбогуват с летището от ерата на Студената война, което е обичано от много местни жители, но все повече отесняваше и остаряваше, допълва БТА.

Множеството бе особено голямо на наблюдателната площадка на покрива, съобщи Даниел Толксдорф, говорител на летищния оператор Флугхафен Берлин Бранденбург (Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg).

Само 100 гости бяха допуснати на терасата наведнъж, а билетите бяха разпродадени за дни, добави той.

Еърбъс А350 (Airbus A350) на Луфтханза (Lufthansa) излетя в събота вечерта с около 280 души на борда, отбелязвайки последния редовен пътнически полет.

Възрастта на "Тегел" обаче си личеше от години и най-накрая този уикенд то ще бъде закрито, една седмица след като новото летище Берлин-Бранденбург (BER) най-накрая бе открито миналата седмица след дългогодишно закъснение.

 

За повече инфо цък.

[stanislavpp]

            Ревю на новото летище 

 

 

Berlin Brandenburg Airport is kind of in a league of its own when it comes to disastrous airport construction projects:

• Construction on the airport started back in 2006
• The airport was initially supposed to open in March 2011, but ended up opening in October 2020, so it was nearly 10 years behind schedule
• The airport was supposed to cost €2.83 billion, but has cost around €7 billion in the end

What all went wrong? This post has a detailed rundown of everything that has happened, though to summarize:

• In mid 2010 the construction company behind the airport went bankrupt, delaying the project
• In mid 2012 huge issues were discovered with the smoke exhaust systems at the airport, delaying the opening (it was later discovered that bribes were involved here)
• In early 2013 there were management changes at the airport, given the management’s team inability to get things done
• In mid 2016 they had issues getting the transport certification needed to open
• In 2017 airberlin went out of business, raising concerns for the airport, as this was supposed to be the largest airline, making the owners rethink part of the design

Suffice to say that this isn’t the shining example of German efficiency.

 

Getting to Berlin Brandenburg Airport

The biggest downside to the new airport (for many) is the location. While Berlin is a sprawling city, Tegel Airport was only a 15 minute drive from many parts of the city, while Brandenburg Airport is about a 30 minute drive from many parts of the city.

The best way to reach the airport by public transportation is with the Flughafen Express (FEX), which takes about 30 minutes from Berlin Central Station.

The convenience of the public transportation options really varies depending on what part of town you’re in. For example, where I stay in Kreuzberg, it takes under 30 minutes by car, or over an hour by public transportation.

So from some areas public transportation is practical, while it’s less practical from other parts of town.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport terminals

For context, Berlin Brandenburg Airport has three terminals:

• Terminal 1, which is the main new terminal now open
• Terminal 2, which is supposed to be for low cost carriers, but which is being kept closed for the time being due to the pandemic
• Terminal 5, which is in fact the former Schönefeld Airport, but which has been rebranded as Brandenburg Airport Terminal 5; this is located on the opposite side of the runway of Terminal 1

For context, below is a map that gives you a sense of the distance between Terminal 1 & Terminal 5.

 

To get between Terminal 1 and Terminal 5, you can take public transportation for free — both the S9 and S45 S-bahn train line goes between the terminals. There are also taxis and buses. That being said, most people probably aren’t going to be transferring between terminals, since this isn’t an airport where a lot of people will be connecting.

The review will be focused on Terminal 1, since that’s the new terminal that’s currently open. Nothing has actually changed about Terminal 5 (other than the name), and Terminal 2 isn’t open, so…

Berlin Brandenburg Airport check-in hall

I’d say the nicest and most impressive part of Berlin Brandenburg Airport is the exterior and check-in hall. Terminal 1 has an all-glass exterior that spans several floors, so in that sense this feels like a major international airport. Keep in mind that even though this is a new airport, construction started in 2006, so aspects of the architecture aren’t exactly cutting edge.

 

The check-in hall is large and well signed, and the focal point is the staircases and elevators leading to the lower level, which have some sort of red netting art display hanging above them.

 

Berlin Brandenburg Airport check-in counters

Berlin Brandenburg Airport check-in counters

Berlin Brandenburg Airport security & airside

The security checkpoint is located along the interior of the check-in hall. You have to scan your boarding pass to get through a gate, and then you can choose from over a dozen security lanes (well, at least when the airport is fully operational — only a few lanes were open when I was there, given how quiet the airport was).

 

Berlin Brandenburg Airport gates

While the check-in hall and initial airside area are impressive, the gate areas leave a bit to be desired, in my opinion. Essentially the rest of the terminal consists of fairly narrow hallways with low ceilings that take you the entire length of the terminal.

In one direction you have the “A” gates, and in the other direction you have the “B” gates. Now of course the terminal felt really empty when I visited, but I’d imagine once demand recovers, this terminal could feel absolutely packed, with thousands of people going down these halls to catch their flights.

 

In some cases the walking distances are quite significant. I’d estimate it would be a roughly 20 minute walk from one end of the “A” gates to the other end of the “B” gates. Then again, I’m guessing not too many people will be connecting at Brandenburg Airport, since it’s an airport where people are largely either originating or terminating.

There are moving sidewalks in the terminal, but they’re hidden, so you really have to look for them.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport gates

 

Perhaps what’s most disappointing is the lack of outlets in the gate areas. This is one of those things that really shows you that the terminal was designed over a decade ago, when that wasn’t as much of a necessity.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport departure gate

 

As an avgeek who loves photographing planes from the terminal, another downside is that the planes are parked quite a distance from the terminal. So don’t expect to get many good airplane shots here (though do notice all the EasyJet planes parked on the apron).

Berlin Brandenburg Airport apron

Also, in case you’re doubting this airport is already rather old (despite being new), here’s one of the newer elevators in the airport, which was built in 2011.

 

Berlin Brandenburg Airport lounges

Here’s the current lounge situation at Berlin Brandenburg Airport Terminal 1:

• Lounge Tempelhof is already open, and is located by the A Gates in Terminal 1; the 910 square meter lounge has a capacity of 200 guests
• Lounge Tegel is expected to open in spring 2021, and is located by the B Gates in Terminal 1; the 660 square meter lounge will have a capacity of 120 guests
• The Lufthansa Business & Senator Lounge is located in the A Gates in Terminal 1

I’ll review the Lufthansa Lounge in a subsequent installment. Meanwhile I tried to visit Lounge Tempelhof, except it’s not yet open to Priority Pass members, and I didn’t think it was worth spending 45 EUR to access a lounge that doesn’t even have any food or drinks (due to the current lockdown). Hopefully this is accessible with Priority Pass in the future.

 

Berlin Brandenburg Airport wifi

Brandenburg Airport has free wifi throughout the terminal. You just have to connect with one click, and there’s no personal information needed.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport wifi

Berlin Brandenburg Airport baggage claim

I swear I’ve been to an airport before, but I actually kind of struggled to get out. First of all, there’s no exit near the center of the terminal, but rather the exits are in the individual piers. Fair enough, as that’s a smart way to avoid too much crowding in one area.

However, something about the signage to exit didn’t make sense. I followed the signage towards an exit, and somehow ended up in an elevator that got me nowhere. So then I had to backtrack, and eventually made it out. I think there’s room for improvement when it comes to signage for the exits.

 

The baggage claim area as such is unremarkable.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport baggage claim

 

What’s my take on Berlin Brandenburg Airport?

I’d say I have a mildly favorable impression of the airport:

• Is this the greatest airport in the world? Absolutely not
• Was it better than some of the negative reviews I’ve read about the airport? Yes, I think so, by a little
• How does this compare to other airports in Germany? Well, the only halfway decent airport in Germany that I’ve visited is Munich Airport, and in some ways this airport is better, and in other ways it’s not

Beyond that I have a few general thoughts, in no particular order:

• It’s so cool to finally see Brandenburg Airport open, after a delay of so many years; I almost figured it would never happen
• While Tegel Airport was objectively pretty bad, it had a great location, and it was super quick to get from check-in to your gate, and those are two areas where Brandenburg Airport can’t compete
• There are aspects of Brandenburg Airport that are nice, in particular the check-in hall and the airside
• There are other aspects of Brandenburg Airport I don’t love, like the fairly small piers leading to gates, and the lack of outlets in the gate seating areas
• The airport is quirky in a way you’d expect — it feels like a brand new airport that’s also about a decade past its prime in some ways

There’s no doubt that Brandenburg Airport “feels” more appropriate for Germany’s capital airport than the old Tegel Airport.

Bottom line

Berlin Brandenburg Airport has finally opened, after a horrible journey up to that point. This is arguably the most interesting new airport to have opened in recent times.

The airport itself is quite nice, and offers an improved passenger experience in terms of the architecture, facilities, etc. That being said, some people will likely miss Tegel Airport for how close it was to the city, and how easy it was to get to the gates.

 

[Фил]

Berlin Brandenburg’s Soviet-Era Terminal 5 To Be Closed By March

 

[epetkov]

преди 38 минути , Фил каза:

Berlin Brandenburg’s Soviet-Era Terminal 5 To Be Closed By March

 

Напълно очаквано решение. Нека не забравяме обаче, че  за новото летище на Берлин "временно" е твърде  разтегливо понятие.

[stanislavpp]

Май е време вече за ремонт или просто новото летище е прокълнато. 
 

След като десетки служители по сигурността бяха ударени от токови удари , рекорда е от 11 инцидента на 06 януари ( един служител с 4 броя за един ден ) 

https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/en/whats-shocking-employees-at-ber-li.131833 ,

сега се оказва , че терминал 1 ,който е над метростанцията няма стопляне и не работи заради студа:

 

Brandenburg Airport is freezing in winter

Despite the amount of time that went into construction of the new Brandenburg Airport, it seems that some things weren’t very well thought out. Terminal 1 is the main terminal of the new airport. The train to the airport arrives just underneath the main check-in hall, so it’s convenient that you only have to walk a short distance from the train to check-in.

In the below picture you can see the escalators, stairs, and elevators, leading from the train area to the check-in area.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport terminal

There’s only one small problem — this setup has caused the check-in hall to be freezing cold in winter. Essentially the frequent freezing easterly winds in winter enter through the tunnels of the underground train station, and are then “blasted” into the check-in hall.

As a result, the check-in hall is apparently extremely cold, with many days seeing single digit temperatures (in Celsius). For context, nine degrees Celsius is about 48 degrees Fahrenheit.

For now the airport has closed the check-in counters near the center of the terminal, which is where the temperatures are coldest, though they do spread throughout the terminal.

 

[neuromancer]

преди 14 минути , stanislavpp каза:

Май е време вече за ремонт или просто новото летище е прокълнато. 

Бързата работа - срам за майстора!

Много набързо го претупаха и сега ще патят 😉

[stanislavpp]

Верно го претупаха с тяхната прословута немска педантичност , ама за 15 години и с  похарчени 7 милиарда - толкова 🙃.

 

 

[epetkov]

И дано нещата не стигнат до отваряне отново на Тегел!  🙂

[Фил]

преди 9 часа, epetkov каза:

И дано нещата не стигнат до отваряне отново на Тегел!  🙂

Или Темпелхоф. 

[dimitrov6]

преди 1 час, Фил каза:

Или Темпелхоф. 

Гледах скоро немски филм и оттам научих за това летище,и сега май е превърнато в място за живеене на имигранти.