The full story
West Berlin, for which air transportation was crucial, had two at the moment of reunification: Tegel Airport, and Tempelhof Airport, which was closed and turned into a public park and fairgrounds. East Germany was using the Schönefeld Airport (IATA: SXF) right outside the southeastern border of the city proper. There is a grand plan to merge all airport operations in the still-under-construction Berlin-Brandenburg Airport (IATA: BER), which is being built on the extended grounds of Schönefeld. At its opening, both Tegel and the former Schönefeld airports will close. The opening itself had been scheduled for 2011 and has since been postponed many times due to construction and safety issues. Every few months a new date is announced and, therefore, much of the tourist information has been published in recent years with the "impending" opening of BER and closure of TXL and SXF in mind.
Useful to know
- Confirm current prices, opening patterns and service changes with the relevant official provider before travel.
- Group plans by district and use the rail network for longer cross-city connections.