Berlin Tegel Airport's Operating Permit Expires
Berlin's Tegel Airport (TXL) is no longer a commercial airport. On 4 May 2021, at midnight, the operating permit for TXL Airport expired. Flight operations in the capital's region have been concentrated at Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport in Schönefeld since November 8, 2020.
According to the notice on the revocation of the operating permit by the Senate, the airport must be closed six months after BER’s southern runway has been put into operation. With the last take-off of an Air France aircraft to Paris, air traffic at Tegel ended on November 8, 2020 after more than 70 years. After that, the airport was placed into “sleep mode”, meaning that flight operations functions were maintained but aircraft no longer took off or landed there.
All buildings in question have already been dismantled within the last six months without jeopardising operational readiness; Terminal C3 and pedestrian bridge between terminals A/B and C have already been demolished, as have the transfer baggage hall, the VIP lounge at Terminal A and the customs baggage storage facility. Shops and catering facilities are empty. The dismantling and decommissioning of buildings and technical facilities as well as the clearance have cost about three million euros so far and another three million euros will be needed before the handover in August.
Since last November, the once busy terminal and the apron it served, have been empty, with a ghostly silence hanging heavily over them
The airport site, along with its 130 buildings and facilities, will be completely returned to the owners, the State of Berlin and the Federal Government, by the beginning of August 2021. Technical facilities that were still needed for operational readiness will also be dismantled over the next three months, including facilities for German Air Traffic Control, the German Weather Service and the Federal Police.
The technical maintenance and protection of Tegel Airport during the six-month temporary cessation of operations up to 4 May 2021 cost a total of around three million euros.
1979 and Tegel is a very busy place, having taken over from Tempelhof as Berlin's primary western gateway
Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, Chief Executive Officer of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH said: “Tegel performed its role very well until the last day. However, all the concerns about possible operational problems at BER have not materialised. BER Airport is running stably, it is modern, fit for purpose and well received by passengers. We are now clearing the way for a new era at Tegel. By quickly and professionally handing over all buildings and facilities, the airport company will give Tegel Projekt GmbH a good start for the city of the future.”
1985; in the days before the end of the division between East and West Germany, the Internal German Services, operated by Pan Am, British Airways and Air France, provided the vital links from Berlin to cities across the West.
All Images - Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg
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