In the year ahead, the Lufthansa Group intends to give its strong presence in the capital city and the surrounding region a further boost by stationing a modern Airbus fleet there, considerably expanding its flight plan, creating several hundred new jobs in Berlin and investing more than €60m. “The opening of the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport ‘Willy Brandt’ in June next year will provide an extra impetus and new market opportunities,” commented Carsten Spohr, CEO Lufthansa German Airlines, in Berlin. “We are investing in Berlin and are determined to seize a disproportionate share of capacity growth at BER in future.”
At the moment, the Lufthansa Group and its partner airlines account for a quarter of the 21 million passengers in Berlin. To increase this share substantially, the Group is to deploy a total of 35 aircraft on routes to and from Berlin from summer next year. Lufthansa will station an Airbus fleet of 15 jets from the A320 family at BER Airport. Altogether, 23 Airbuses (A321, A320, A319) will fly Berlin routes under the Lufthansa flag. The additional capacity in Berlin means that more staff is required. Around 130 pilots and more than 200 additional flight attendants are needed solely for the Lufthansa jets stationed at the new airport, which are to be deployed in German and European point-to-point traffic.
