EasyJet’s inaugural flight from Tegel Airport in Berlin – and its first ever domestic flight in Germany – took place on January 5. Flight EZY5569 to Munich took off at 10:30 local time, following a festive opening ceremony at the airport. Customers travelling on the flight all received a commemorative easyJet Berlin teddy bear as a gift prior to departure.
The airline entered the German market following the collapse of Air Berlin and has already announced 19 new services from Tegel, including four domestic routes, connecting the capital to Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich and Stuttgart up to eight times per day.
As soon as easyJet is in full operation at Tegel, the airline says it will transport 18 million passengers to and from Germany – to a total of 116 destinations, from easyJet’s nine German airports. To achieve this, it has stationed 37 aeroplanes in Germany and employed up to 1,700 people. In 2018, one in every five easyJet passengers will either start or end their journey in Germany.
Rainer Bretschneider, Airport Coordinator of the Brandenburg State Government as State Secretary in the State Chancellery commented: “After nearly 14 years of involvement of easyJet in Schönefeld, the added incorporation of Tegel in the flight plan represents a further strong commitment for the capital region of Berlin-Brandenburg. The new easyJet base strengthens the location, provides attractive connections and ensures important work job opportunities in the capital region.”
Professor Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, Chairman of the Board of Berlin Brandenburg Airport GmbH added: “With the expansion to Tegel, easyJet is expanding its strong position in Berlin. This makes [Tegel] TXL and [Schonefeld] SXF the most important location for the airline outside of the UK. The decision made by easyJet shows how important the region is for the European aviation industry also in the future, and demonstrates the importance of the airports as drivers of growth in Berlin and Brandenburg.”