I was absolutely flabbergasted! And so was our Berlin Airports CEO, Dr Rainer Schwarz. In spite of tumbling prices on the stock exchange and torrential downpours outside, more than 700 guests invited to our traditional New Year’s reception actually turned up last night. The reception was not held at one of our airports this time, but very exclusively in the splendid setting of the Grand Orangery at Charlottenburg Palace. After all, there were reasons enough to celebrate: we closed the year 2007 with a record result thanks to more than 20 million passengers. And we’re starting the year 2008 with some bright prospects. By the middle of the year, we plan to start construction work on the terminal for the BBI. But I already told you all about that not long ago, didn’t I? Our guests were certainly in party mood. Brandenburg’s prime minister, Matthias Platzeck, was among them and in excellent spirits. Appetites were hearty, too and there was quite a crush at the many little market stalls displaying rustic delicacies, such as rollmop herrings, pea soup, smoked pork with sauerkraut, curry sausages with potato salad and, of course, my firm favourite, rissoles – good, solid Berlin fare. Not really for vegetarians, but that meant all the more for meat-loving ants like me!

Wersja drukowana berlin-airport.de (Copyright Berliner Flughäfen)