About Berlin Airport
Berlin’s security response is extensive. The security fence between the German capital and Berlin Airport, near the northern railway station, runs alongside the city’s river embankment. Once the passengers are inside the fence, cameras monitor every corner of the airport and can instantly call for help to handle an emergency. Once inside the airport building, travelers have to go through scanners and can only access areas with ticket counters, where they are only required to carry identification cards. The Federal Police conduct extra checks and security audits on all aircraft, and German officials inspect all baggage and freight travelling to and from Berlin Airport.
The German federal police force alone has a huge set of laws and regulations. Individuals that enter Germany or come in contact with German citizens are required to keep up with a daily report of their whereabouts, carry a passport, and carry their identity card with them at all times. The police checks on individuals are further increased when they are traveling to or through Germany, for example by forcing travelers to show their passport, residence permit, identity card and stay within a city limit. If a foreigner fails to provide such documentation within a designated time, the police may demand them to prove their identity. During that time, they are only allowed to leave their hotel in the presence of the police officer.
Visitors will notice strict rules at the airport and the clear identification standards at the checkpoints. Passengers arriving at Berlin’s airports will be required to maintain their identification cards on them and with them at all times. They will also have to show them to airport officials at the entrance to each terminal. Passengers on the new flights to Berlin will be subjected to baggage searches and maybe further security checks once they arrive at Berlin’s international airport. The German capital has already installed strict security measures at its airports, but Germany’s increased security measures in recent years have also resulted in a reduction in human liberties. In September 2021, a decree went into effect that requires people to cooperate with police in cases of terrorist attacks, otherwise they will be subject to penalties of up to €10,000.
Flights to and from Berlin will remain on a regular schedule, even with the change in security measures, and authorities are confident that the changes will not affect the airport’s operation. The airport will be closed after the last flights of the day on September 4, so that German authorities can arrange the new security measures.
History of Berlin’s Airport
Berlin-Brandenburg Airport was founded as an airport for commercial and passenger flights in the summer of 1948. Its first flight to the German capital was made by the German Luftwaffe, during the World War II, on September 25, 1944. One year later, a regular passenger flight operated from Berlin to Prague via Frankfurt, while another flight flew directly from the German capital to Hamburg. The construction of Berlin’s new airport required an extensive process and several shifts, since all equipment used was previously used at the German capital’s existing airports. The German Luftwaffe performed the first flight to the German capital on September 25, 1944, during World War II. The facility was almost finished by the beginning of the next year, but the airport remained unused for several years due to the cold war and tensions between Berlin and the Soviet Union. The Berlin air force lost several planes to Soviet fighters before the Berlin air force could deploy to the airport. By 1963, the airport began operating for commercial flights and it served approximately 500,000 people in the first year of operation. The construction of Berlin’s airport, which included the construction of Berlin’s twin airports Schönefeld and Stuttgart, cost 623 million Deutsche Marks, making it the most expensive airport construction in history. When the Berlin air force was stationed at Berlin’s central air base at Brandenburg, the existing airfields were renamed Berlin-Brandenburg Airbase. The air force began to move to the airbase in 1962. At the end of September 1963, the first commercial flight operated from Berlin’s central airbase to Athens. The air force’s flights to Athens were temporarily suspended after the Soviet Union decided to close the airfield for military flights. On September 26, 1965, German parliament gave the authorities permission to rename the airfield Berlin-Brandenburg Airport, which also became the permanent name of the facility.
The airport has been a key hub for German carriers Lufthansa, Germanwings, and Eurowings since the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The airports in Berlin and Hamburg have regularly had over 50 percent of their entire passenger traffic passing through Berlin’s airport. During the first quarter of 2021, more than 26.7 million passengers passed through Berlin’s airport, which is an increase of more than 8 percent compared to the same period last year.
Subsequent Growth and Development
Today, Berlin’s airport is one of the major European airports and it is responsible for facilitating over 15 percent of all international passenger traffic in Germany and for 25 percent of all air traffic within Europe. The airport currently has regular flights to over 100 destinations worldwide, including all major international hubs and major cities in Germany. The airport’s central location means it is the only major international airport within a 50-kilometer radius.
During the first half of 2021, Berlin’s airport served a total of 63.5 million passengers, including 23.3 million from domestic flights and 40.3 million from international flights. The airport has the largest duty-free shopping area in Europe, including the three biggest airports in Germany, along with the largest shopping centre in the region. The new central location of the airport will allow more international flights and a lower load factor.
During the next decades, Berlin’s airport will expand and the modernization process will continue until it reaches the necessary capacity in the near future. The Berlin airport’s central location will help it attract a greater number of passengers from other regions. The airport is developing its own transit network and other new passenger transportation services. The airport expects its transit traffic to increase to around 90,000 passengers by 2021.
About Ibiza Airport
Ibiza Airport has been growing at a fast pace in recent years, with a huge increase in passenger and aircraft traffic over the last few years.
That’s the main reason why the airport is undergoing major construction work in the area around the Departure Hall, aiming to extend the current Departure Hall to a maximum of 22 million passengers per year.
The two-year construction works started this week. In the near future, the Departure Hall will be extended to 8.000 square meters, with an extension to the building’s southern wing of 500 square meters.
The expansion is expected to increase the flow of passengers at the airport, and will allow for 1,6 million passengers per year, with around 130 new aircraft each month.
Apart from the increased capacity, the Ibiza Airport’s construction works are also being carried out in order to facilitate the creation of new aircraft parking bays.
Besides the current construction works, the Spanish airport operator is also planning on an expansion of the runway, stretching to a maximum of 1,800 meters.
Part of the larger project of the airport’s growth will also involve a future extension of its Terminal 1, which is expected to be complete by 2021.
That means that the Spanish Airport will be expanding its capacity over the next few years, with its new Departure Hall and the extension of the existing Terminal 1.
A new Terminal 2 is planned for the airport in the next few years, and is expected to be completed by 2025.
The current Departure Hall in the Ibiza Airport is capable of handling over 8.7 million passengers, while its Terminal 1 is set to be able to handle around 10 million passengers by 2021.
Check our our Destination Ibiza Gallery here, with a plethora of photos showing off the beauty of Ibiza, and all of its fabulous beaches, landmarks, and other attractions.
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Thanks for checking out our blog and making us a part of your life and traveling experience. We’ll see you at the airport!