Icon: enlarge
BER and railway managers at the opening of the airport train station on Sunday.
Fourth from left: Airport manager Engelbert Lütke Daldrup
Photo: Sean Gallup / Getty Images
Shortly before the opening of BER, Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) expects that the capital's airport will soon need additional state aid.
The airport is opening at a time when air traffic is experiencing the greatest crisis in its history, said Scheuer on Tuesday on RBB Inforadio.
"For BER this means that we have to look closely at the economic plans for the next few years."
The owners of the airport company - Berlin, Brandenburg and the federal government - are already supporting the company with 300 million euros this year.
A loan of around 550 million euros has been approved for the coming year.
"Berlin must be a hub"
Politicians must now offer solutions, said Scheuer.
These are connected with emergency aid - also for BER.
This will be discussed at a national air traffic summit on November 6th.
The CSU minister vowed to campaign for more international flights at BER.
"I'm in contact with airlines. But there is still no light at the end of the tunnel because the airlines are currently reducing. But Berlin is our capital, Berlin has to be a hub."
BER is due to open this Saturday - nine years late.
Berlin airport manager Engelbert Lütke Daldrup said: "Berlin must become an important international airport alongside Frankfurt and Munich."
Before the pandemic, we had very good talks with a number of American airlines.
There is also a lot of interest in Asia: "In America we have to conquer the market. That's our turn. After Corona, that will also work because we finally have a good infrastructure."
"The federal government has to help"
Political support is necessary in the Asian market.
"We have too few flight rights to China, we have too few flight rights to the Middle East," said Lütke Daldrup.
"The federal government has to help. And when Mr. Scheuer says that Berlin is becoming a hub, that's the right message."
However, it is completely unclear which airline could turn the new capital city airport into one of its hubs.
Market leader Lufthansa has no such plans.
There is also no mention of long-haul flights from or to Berlin.
In the past few years, six opening dates for the third largest German airport have been canceled.
Planning errors, construction defects, technical problems and personnel changes repeatedly set the project back.
Around six billion euros were built into BER, three times as much as planned.
Icon: The mirror
clh / dpa