Berlin's BER airport starts using both runways

More than a year after the opening of Germany's new capital city airport BER, regular flights using both runways will be available for the first time from Wednesday.

A slump in demand during the coronavirus crisis had led to the aircraft only using one of the runways, most recently in monthly rotation.

Significantly more passengers have been flying from the new Berlin airport in recent months.

The operator expects twice as many take-offs and landings this winter compared with last year, though it is not yet clear whether the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic will have an impact on passenger numbers.

The single runway has worked well operationally, explained airport chief Aletta von Massenbach. "We've been able to reduce our expenses and still manage the increasing number of aircraft movements since the summer."

Now, she said, both runways are needed again to cope with the increased number of flights, and to provide more flexibility during spells of bad weather.