Schönefeld Airport - Germany

Offering a wide range of international services, Schönefeld is Berlin's leading charter airport. Just seventy km from the Polish border, its first airfield was constructed in 1930. The site originally served as a manufacturing center for Henschel aircraft, but in 1945 the Soviet troops turned it into a full-fledged airport. It was, up until the time of Germany's reunification, the principle airport of the German Democratic Republic.

The airport is currently served by 54 airlines and it operates flights to 80 destinations around the world. Since Schöenfeld serves leisure travelers almost exclusively, a good 50% of its yearly traffic takes place during the summer months when over 200 flights are handled a day. Condor and LTU, Germany's leading charter carriers, are the biggest operators at the airport, flying tourists primarily to southern Europe and North Africa. Last year Schöenfeld also experienced a 74% increase in the amount of cargo carried - 7,2000 tons! Continued growth (more than 1.9 million passengers traveled through in 1994) has called for further development. The construction of a new West Terminal, which would bring the airport's capacity up to 10 million passengers a year, is now in progress. In addition to this new terminal, plans for a 24-hour shopping mall, cinema, theatre, restaurants and hotels could turn the present location into "Airport City."