Airport Guide
Berlin Schonefeld Airport
Though very much the German capital's second international airport, Berlin Schonefeld nevertheless welcomes an impressive range of international and domestic flights each day. The airport's recent rise in fortunes has been fuelled largely by low-cost carriers, whose budget fares mean many travellers are only too happy to put up with a longer
journey to the city centre.
History of Berlin Schonefeld Airport
Schonefeld has a history almost as fascinating as modern Berlin itself. The airport was first constructed in 1934 and rose to prominence within Germany during the Second World War, when it was used as a major base for aircraft production.
Following the war and under Soviet occupation, the airport was turned over to civilian aviation, with dozens of weekly flights linking East Berlin with a number of destinations behind the Iron Curtain, before eventually becoming the state's principal air hub.
With the fall of the Berlin Wall, it lost out to Berlin Tegel in terms of passenger numbers and investment, though plans are currently in place to construct Berlin-Brandenburg Airport just a few hundred metres from the end of Schonefeld's runways, meaning that the vast majority of international passengers visiting the capital could soon be entering
from the east.
Travelling to Berlin Schonefeld Airport
Located 11 miles south of the heart of Berlin, Schonefeld boasts excellent public transport connections.
To get into Berlin city centre, the majority of new arrivals will make the short walk to Berlin Schonefeld Flughafen railway station, from where trains on the S-Bahn lines S9 and S45 run every 20 minutes.
The journey time into Berlin centre takes 30 minutes, with passengers able to alight at a number of stations within walking distance of many of the best Berlin hotels, including Ostbahnhof, Alexanderplatz and Central Station.
Meanwhile, mainly those passengers with family or business outside of the city itself make use of the local BVG bus line, which takes travellers from the terminal doors to, among other destinations, Adlershof, Neukolln and Berlin Sudkreuz.
Airlines Flying From Berlin Schonefeld Airport
While the larger carriers fly in and out of the larger Berlin Tegel Airport, Schonefeld has become a sizable hub for low-cost flights, with a number of European low-cost airlines offering both domestic and international flights each day.
German budget carrier Germanwings flies to Cologne/Bonn, Munich and Stuttgart domestically, while also offering services to Bucharest, Dubrovnik, Moscow, Stockholm and Zagreb.
Likewise, Air Berlin offers a host of cheap international flights to the likes of Antalya, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Palma de Mallorca, while Condor flies to Corfu, Fuerteventura, Paphos and Sharm el-Sheikh.
Also to be found on the tarmac at Schonefeld are easyJet, which flies to more than a dozen European destinations, including Bristol, Copenhagen, Madrid, Rome and Venice; and Ryanair, which offers cheap flights from Berlin to the likes of Dublin, East Midlands, London-Stansted and Milan.
Additionally, several flag-carriers do fly into Berlin's second airport, including Icelandair, EgyptAir and El Al, which fly to Reykjavik-Keflavik, Cairo and Tel Aviv, respectively.
journey to the city centre.
History of Berlin Schonefeld Airport
Schonefeld has a history almost as fascinating as modern Berlin itself. The airport was first constructed in 1934 and rose to prominence within Germany during the Second World War, when it was used as a major base for aircraft production.
Following the war and under Soviet occupation, the airport was turned over to civilian aviation, with dozens of weekly flights linking East Berlin with a number of destinations behind the Iron Curtain, before eventually becoming the state's principal air hub.
With the fall of the Berlin Wall, it lost out to Berlin Tegel in terms of passenger numbers and investment, though plans are currently in place to construct Berlin-Brandenburg Airport just a few hundred metres from the end of Schonefeld's runways, meaning that the vast majority of international passengers visiting the capital could soon be entering
from the east.
Travelling to Berlin Schonefeld Airport
Located 11 miles south of the heart of Berlin, Schonefeld boasts excellent public transport connections.
To get into Berlin city centre, the majority of new arrivals will make the short walk to Berlin Schonefeld Flughafen railway station, from where trains on the S-Bahn lines S9 and S45 run every 20 minutes.
The journey time into Berlin centre takes 30 minutes, with passengers able to alight at a number of stations within walking distance of many of the best Berlin hotels, including Ostbahnhof, Alexanderplatz and Central Station.
Meanwhile, mainly those passengers with family or business outside of the city itself make use of the local BVG bus line, which takes travellers from the terminal doors to, among other destinations, Adlershof, Neukolln and Berlin Sudkreuz.
Airlines Flying From Berlin Schonefeld Airport
While the larger carriers fly in and out of the larger Berlin Tegel Airport, Schonefeld has become a sizable hub for low-cost flights, with a number of European low-cost airlines offering both domestic and international flights each day.
German budget carrier Germanwings flies to Cologne/Bonn, Munich and Stuttgart domestically, while also offering services to Bucharest, Dubrovnik, Moscow, Stockholm and Zagreb.
Likewise, Air Berlin offers a host of cheap international flights to the likes of Antalya, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Palma de Mallorca, while Condor flies to Corfu, Fuerteventura, Paphos and Sharm el-Sheikh.
Also to be found on the tarmac at Schonefeld are easyJet, which flies to more than a dozen European destinations, including Bristol, Copenhagen, Madrid, Rome and Venice; and Ryanair, which offers cheap flights from Berlin to the likes of Dublin, East Midlands, London-Stansted and Milan.
Additionally, several flag-carriers do fly into Berlin's second airport, including Icelandair, EgyptAir and El Al, which fly to Reykjavik-Keflavik, Cairo and Tel Aviv, respectively.
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