Improvements at Schönefeld and Tegel airports ahead of Berlin Brandenburg opening
Germany's Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH confirmed (13-Feb-2013) it would invest between EUR10 million and EUR20 million in order to improve the existing airports Berlin Schönefeld and Berlin Tegel. The majority of the investment will be earmarked for Tegel which is currently full to capacity. This was unanimously decided by the supervisory board of Berlin Brandenburg Airport company on 13-Feb-2013. State Premier of the Federal State of Brandenburg and chairman of the supervisory board Matthias Platzeck said: "In view of the postponement of the opening date of BER, there is a need to improve Schönefeld and in particular Tegel. With today's decision, we have paved the way for improvements at Schönefeld and Tegel to ensure a smooth transition until the opening of the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport." The airport company has now been tasked with developing a list of individual measures as well as a detailed cost and time analysis. The need for action concerns three areas:
- Infrastructure: The infrastructure at the existing airports Schönefeld and Tegel is showing signs of wear and tear. For instance, the cooling and heating systems, the building technology, the baggage system and the taxiways will require some investment;
- Service: A number of measures will be taken to improve the passenger experience, such as the installation of additional flight information screens, a deep cleaning of the terminal building, an refurbishment of existing toilet facilities and the installation of additional restrooms;
- Personnel: Over the coming months, the operating company will increase staff levels at Tegel to be able to respond quickly, should the need for maintenance and repair works arise.
Measures to address these issues will commence in the coming weeks. Furthermore the operating company will evaluate whether additional construction work may be necessary in order to improve the handling process at Tegel's terminal C. [more - original PR]