History

“The only constant thing is change.” (Heraklit von Ephesus, 535-475 v. Chr.) This quote applies wonderfully to the varied history of Berlin’s airports, which began in 1891 with Otto Lilienthal’s first flight attempts at Mühlenberg near Derwitz, on the outskirts of Berlin, and goes on to its next chapter with the commissioning of Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt (BER).

Since flying was invented, Berlin has always had the right answer to the challenges of its eventful history. The first hub in the Golden Twenties, the Airlift at Tempelhof dur-ing the Berlin Blockade, Tegel Airport for the walled-in western part of the city.

Tempelhof has been closed since 2008. And Tegel Airport, which will be closed when the new airport opens, also has a special symbolic value for many Germans: it was once the gateway to the free world for walled-in West Berlin. Berlin Schönefeld Airport, which will continue to operate as Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER)’s Terminal 5, was once considered the GDR’s central airport and boomed with the emergence of the low-cost airlines for many years like no other airport in Germany.

They are all regarded as German transport milestones and many Berliners and Brandenburgers associate them with nostalgic memories, which is why we would like to review their history here once again.