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The traffic development at Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt and the further steps towards fulfilment of the targets of the business plan after the Corona pandemic were the central topics of Friday’s meeting of the Supervisory Board.
The management of the airport operating company reported extensively on the current situation at the BER. Traffic figures had, as expected, increased at the start of the summer holiday season. This trend continued, with a slightly increasing tendency. In both July and August more than one million passengers used Terminal 1. In August, it was a good 1.43 million passengers. The busiest day so far was 17 September 17 2021, which boasted more than 60,000 passengers. The airport operating company is assuming that the current level of traffic will remain constant until the end of October.
Overall, the technical processes at BER airport remained stable, despite the increasing passenger figures in the last weeks. One of the major challenges said processes had to cope with was the integration of the controlling of vaccination and test certificates into the clearance procedures when checking in and entering the country. These additional tasks slowed down the clearance procedures and also resulted in criticism from the passengers. Against the background of the anticipated autumn holiday traffic, the company management explained to the Supervisory Board the measures by way of which it is intended that the departure and arrival procedures should be stabilised and accelerated. Additional signage inside the terminal, constant communication with the German Federal Police with regard to security and passport controls plus the intensified cleaning of the sanitary areas are also among the measures intended to further improve these processes.
Regarding the economic situation of the airport operating company, the management reported that the liquidity of FBB is ensured until February 2022. It informed the Supervisory Board of the continuation of economy measures. Only investments that are absolutely necessary for the upholding of operations will be realised. The structurally completed Terminal 2, currently in “snooze modus”, is not to start operations this year owing to the lack of passengers. The two takeoff and landing runways will be operated alternately until further notice. In addition to this, short-time working has been prolonged until December.
The management assessed the laying of the foundation stone for the easyJet hangar at the western end of the airport premises as a very encouraging sign. With the building of its first own hangar outside Great Britain, this airline underlines its commitment as a strong partner to the economic development in the Capital Region Berlin-Brandenburg.
The Supervisory Board also concerned itself with the marketing of the landside-based areas of the airport and informed itself of the status of the tender procedure for a first partial area on the site of the “Midfield Garden” in the immediate vicinity of the terminal. The most important criterion for the awarding of the first 70,000 square metres of gross floor space is that, from the development of this space, positive effects for the development of the entire airport and its environs should be generated. The airport operating company is therefore seeking, in the context of a multi-stage concept tender procedure, one or more partners who, with their concepts and ideas, would lend the entire site an urban development profile that would also offer a clear conceptual orientation for other partial areas. The Supervisory Board agreed to this approach. The marketing procedure is to be initiated in the first quarter of 2022.
Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, who will be passing the chairpersonship of the executive board over to Aletta von Massenbach and retiring at the end of September, was said farewell to by the Supervisory Board. On behalf of the Supervisory Board and the shareholders the chairman of the Supervisory Board, Jörg Simon, thanked Lütke Daldrup for having transformed the long-time construction site BER into a functioning airport.
Jörg Simon, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH: “In order to ease the tense financial situation of FBB, it will remain necessary to exercise strict expenditure control whilst at the same time continuing to develop the company further. The Supervisory Board, at its January conclave, will be concerning itself intensively with the corporate strategy, which will give orientation during the recovery phase and establish the BER as a strong international airport for the Capital Region.”
Aletta von Massenbach, Chief Financial Officer of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH: “The increasing passenger figures represent a fundamentally encouraging development. They do, however, present challenges to the airport, particularly under Corona conditions. Making the processes connected with departures and arrivals still more smooth and reliable is one of our most important tasks along the long road towards making the BER an economic success.”
Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, Chief Executive Officer of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH: “Today, again, more than 60,000 passengers have been counted at the BER. At long last, normality is returning step by step, even if it is the case that the winter, due to Corona, will be difficult once more. It is now a matter of optimising the terminal and its processes in a target-oriented way so that the BER, with further increasing traffic volumes, will function even better than it is doing already. I am convinced that the BER, in the future will do justice to the expectations that the Capital Region has of it. To have contributed to guiding the BER onto this path is the highlight of my professional career.”