Five years of BER Airport: A battle of locations and successes!

Five years of BER Airport: A battle of locations and successes!

It has now been five years since the capital's BER airport opened its doors. On the occasion of this anniversary, we take a look back at the airport's turbulent history, which was not only characterized by location debates, but also by political disputes. The planning began in the 1990s, when the focus was on places like Sperenberg, Jüterbog and Schönefeld. Commissioning was originally planned for 2004, but the groundbreaking ceremony did not take place until September 5, 2006. In the years that followed, there were numerous delays and rescheduling, which ultimately led to the realization of the airport in Schönefeld entwicklungsstadt.de reported.

The airport has had an impressive career since then. In January 2025, BER received the award as a “4-Star Airport” from Skytrax, another milestone followed in April 2025 with the honor as “World’s Most Improved Airport”. The Innovation Award for the “Most Innovative Airport Initiative” in June 2025, presented at the Future Travel Experience in Dublin, underlines the progress the airport has made in recent years. A special highlight is the newly introduced AI-based BER agent, which offers telephone service in four languages.

The choice of location and its consequences

The decision for the Schönefeld location was not without complications. The Federal Audit Office criticized the options in Sperenberg as being too expensive, and citizens also had to deal with strong political conflicts that arose between the federal and state governments over the size and location of the airport. Critical voices, particularly from the Greens and the PDS, expressed concerns about the need for a large airport in this region, as also outlined in the reports from entwicklungsstadt.de.

After reunification, the Berlin-Brandenburg Airport Holding was founded, and the “Mannesmann study” from 1991 served as a fundamental basis for further planning. Over the years, a spatial planning procedure developed that was opened in 1993. Schönefeld was initially considered unsuitable before the location was finally chosen due to political pressure.

A look into the future

The further development of BER is on solid footing. The master plan envisages creating a central, flexible terminal infrastructure and developing an Airport City that extends to the A113 motorway. The five guiding ideas of the master plan are ambitious: from networked mobility to the use of sustainability and digitalization as opportunities for the future. As berlin-airport.de informs, these developments are intended to strengthen not only the airport itself, but also the entire region economically.

One goal is to provide economic stimulus while improving the customer experience. The master plan is intended to provide airlines and the regional economy with clear guidance and is flexible enough to be able to respond to new challenges, such as the effects of the Corona crisis. This shows that, despite all the setbacks, BER is a future-oriented airport that is ready to face the challenges of modern aviation.