Berlin Schönefeld Airport

Berlin Schönefeld Airport. It was one of the three major commercial airports serving the Berlin region, located in the Brandenburg municipality of Schönefeld. The airport played a significant role in the Cold War as the primary civil airport for East Germany and later became a major base for low-cost carriers following German reunification. Operations ceased in 2020 with the opening of the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport, into which its functions and identity were largely absorbed.

History

The site's origins trace back to a World War II aircraft factory for the Heinkel He 111 bomber, which was heavily bombed by the Western Allies. After the war, the Soviet administration developed the area, with civil operations commencing in 1946 under the control of Deutsche Lufthansa of the GDR. As the main international gateway for the German Democratic Republic, it connected East Berlin to fellow Eastern Bloc capitals like Prague, Warsaw, and Moscow, as well as select western destinations. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, the airport was expanded and modernized, becoming a key European hub for airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair. Its final commercial flight departed in 2020, marking the end of its 74-year history.

Facilities

The airport featured a single main passenger terminal complex, divided into terminals A, B, C, and D, with the original Central Terminal building dating from the 1960s. A major expansion, the low-cost carrier Terminal D, opened in 2005 to handle the rapid growth of airlines like airberlin and Germanwings. Cargo operations were supported by facilities used by logistics companies including Lufthansa Cargo. The airfield had two runways, the primary being 08/26, capable of handling wide-body aircraft like the Boeing 747 operated by carriers such as Condor. Navigational aids were upgraded to ICAO standards in the post-reunification era.

Airlines and destinations

Prior to its closure, the airport was dominated by low-cost carriers, most notably easyJet, which established its largest German base here, and Ryanair, which operated an extensive network across Europe. Seasonal and charter services were provided by carriers like TUIfly and Small Planet Airlines to Mediterranean holiday destinations. It also hosted operations from Norwegian Air Shuttle and Wizz Air, connecting Berlin to cities across Scandinavia and Central and Eastern Europe. Legacy carrier services had largely shifted to Berlin Tegel Airport by the 2010s.

Ground transportation

The airport was connected to central Berlin via the Berlin S-Bahn lines S9 and S45, which provided direct service to key stations like Berlin Ostbahnhof and Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Regional Deutsche Bahn trains on the Berlin–Görlitz railway line also stopped at the station. Several BVG bus lines, including the X7 express, linked the terminal to the Berlin U-Bahn network at Rudow. Long-distance coach services operated by companies like Flixbus provided connections to other German cities and beyond.

Future development

With the operational closure of the airport, its infrastructure was integrated into the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER). The former terminals and aprons now function as Terminal 5 of BER, primarily serving low-cost carriers. The southern runway remains in use for BER, while the northern runway and parts of the old terminal area are slated for redevelopment. Long-term plans by Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH and the state of Brandenburg may include commercial and logistics real estate projects, potentially transforming the historic site.