airberlin is sticking to its plans for growth and will operate a summer schedule in Berlin which shows an increase in capacity of 8%. Although the continuation of operations at Berlin-Tegel Airport will cause a restriction of services, airberlin intends to implement its flight schedule including all its new destinations.
Since the summer schedule started on 1st May 2012, airberlin has been operating 70 nonstop connections from the German capital. Up to 40 aircraft a day serve the airberlin hub, which now creates 10,500 connecting flights per week. The flight schedule has been increased to 1,500 departures and arrivals per week. From next Friday, the new connections will include flights to and from Los Angeles three times a week. Flights will depart to New York on a daily basis. Danzig and Krakow will be integrated into the hub with two flights a day; from 5th June, Kaliningrad will be added with flights three times a week. An increased number of departures has also been implemented on routes to Stockholm, Gothenburg, Copenhagen and Oslo.
Germany’s second largest airline is working intensively to adapt its flight schedule to the old infrastructure at Berlin-Tegel. Aircraft block times need to be re-scheduled, slots coordinated and customers informed. Numerous processes, such as loading luggage, which are automated at the new BER Airport, have to be done by hand at Tegel.
“The workload for our employees is enormous. Imagine moving flats twice,” said Hartmut Mehdorn, CEO airberlin. “We are confident, however, that we will cope with this additional challenge.”
airberlin has gone from strength to strength in Berlin. Last year the number of passengers reached a record level of 7.9 million, which makes airberlin the market leader in the German capital. The company has a workforce of 2,900 employees in the city.
