Berlin-Schönefeld International Airport

Situated right next to Berlin’s southern border in the town of Schönefeld in Brandenburg, Germany, the Berlin-Schönefeld International Airport once had the distinction of being the only airport that served East Berlin. Today it is better known locally as ‘the Holiday Airport’ since it conducts so many international charter flights. The Berlin-Schönefeld Airport is situated just outside the city, which means that it generates less noise pollution that the other two airports in Berlin – the Tegel International Airport and the Tempelhof International Airport. It is a very popular airport in Berlin and it is most frequently used by foreign travelers arriving or leaving the country.

The Berlin-Schönefeld International Airport is a public airport and it is operated by Berlin Airports. Built at an elevation of 154 ft (47 m), it mainly serves the nearby city of Berlin and is a point of call for many – even if only a brief one. In 2006 the airport served a massive 6 059 343 million passengers, making it one of Europe’s leading airports. The Berlin-Schönefeld Airport has one runway of roughly 9 843 ft (3 000 m) in length.

The Berlin-Schönefeld Airport was founded in 1934 when the Henschel aircraft plant was built in Schönefeld. Aircraft were actively constructed and tested here right up until the end of the Second World War and during that time roughly 14 000 airplanes were built at the plant. These operations ended in 1945 when the plant was dismantled and blown up by occupying Soviet troops. Sometime later the decision was made to transform the airport into a public airport that would conduct civilian air traffic in East Germany.

There are great plans on the horizon for Schönefeld as it is scheduled to be transformed into the Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport by 2011. Once construction begins on the new terminal, the Tempelhof airport will be closed. The Tegal airport will follow suite only six months after the airport has been renamed and the new section has been officially opened. The airport is served by the Berlin-Schönefeld Flughafen railway station which makes access to and from the airport convenient and easy.