Germany’s airport operators are predicting a drop in traffic this year, and further declines in the future as more and more travelers turn to rail travel in the wake of economic pressure.
Not only is there more public interest in reducing carbon output from short-haul flying, the government is backing up that trend by reducing taxes (and prices) on rail tickets and increasing taxes that previously have favored airlines. Add to that, the rise in aviation fuel prices is expected to have an effect.
There’s a fair amount of evidence to back up these predictions, but we’ll forgive your skepticism on the other big piece of airline news from Germany: There’s now an official date set for the closing of the country’s fourth-busiest airport, Berlin’s Tegel. Berlin authorities insist that their new, decade-late, airport will open on Halloween, and the last flights in and out of Tegel are set for November 8. Caution: when it comes to BER completion, it’s had more dates than a high school prom queen.
Photo: Berlin Tegel
