BERLIN – As a result of the pandemic and the ongoing lockdown, passenger traffic at Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt fell again last month. In February, 146,945 passengers were handled at the airport. That is around 60,000 fewer than in the month before. Passenger numbers in January 2021 were already extremely low. Overall, passenger traffic this February lay at less than seven percent of the level seen in February 2020. One month later, in March 2020, the German borders were largely closed for travel on account of the pandemic.

This February, around 3,000 aircraft took off or landed at BER. A year earlier, almost 20,000 aircraft movements were recorded at Schönefeld and Tegel airports. That is a decline of almost 85 percent.

Declines in airfreight have been less dramatic than those in passenger traffic. In February 2021, about 1,530 tonnes of airfreight were moved. Compared to February 2020, freight traffic has fallen by around 43 percent.

Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, Chief Executive Officer of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH: “The massive decline in passenger numbers has reached a new low at all German airports. The extensive quarantine regulations, a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, have brought flight operations to an almost complete standstill. But people want to fly, they long for holidays and want to book them. But these dreams can only come true when there is more safety when travelling. An effective vaccination and testing strategy is urgently needed for this.”