Airport boss against the ban on short-haul flights

Berlin Berlin’s new airport manager, Aletta von Massenbach, has opposed the Greens’ demand to abolish short-haul flights. “There are many connections that lead abroad via hubs – in my opinion these are not purely domestic flights,” von Massenbach told the Handelsblatt. Politicians have to take that into account. “Germany as an aviation location must not be thrown back by wrong decisions.”

Von Massenbach, who is also Vice President of the Airport Association (ADV), expects that the airports will have to face “a lot of burdens” in order to become climate-neutral in the next few years.

She appealed to the negotiators of a possible traffic light or Jamaica coalition not to overwhelm the aviation industry. They should “be moderate, give industry air to breathe so that change can succeed”.

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Notwithstanding this, von Massenbach assumes that flying will become more expensive for reasons of climate protection. “Of course, all measures that reduce the negative footprint of air traffic cost money. And because no airport or airline can handle this alone, the user has to help finance it. ”Flying makes it possible to travel very far very quickly, meet people, do business,“ but that has a price – and it is higher than it was previously calculated ”.

Read the full interview here:

Ms. von Massenbach, your predecessor Engelbert Lütke Daldrup called himself a “crime scene cleaner” with a view to his work at BER. How do you see your role?
I am glad that the expensive construction period is over and that the airport is open. But of course: we have to face a number of challenges financially. And we have to position ourselves for the future.

Were you shocked by the many mishaps during the construction of the airport?
That there have been such delays and that it has become so expensive is dramatic. But now it is not so much a question of analyzing the problems in the past, but of shaping the future.

BER opened in October 2020, but almost without passengers due to Corona. Now operations are slowly starting up again. What is the current situation?
Since July we have clearly felt that people want to fly, that is a wonderful signal. However, winter can become difficult again if the pandemic is not yet adequately contained. However, we expect that we will move towards normalization with the Easter tourist traffic.

This means?
We assume around ten million passengers for 2021. Hopefully by 2025 we will again reach the pre-crisis level of around 36 million passengers per year.

Vita Aletta von Massenbach

Little can be seen of the international importance that BER is striving for. There are only two long-haul connections.
That has a lot to do with the pandemic. But of course: two long-haul connections are not enough for the region. We are therefore discussing with some airlines to what extent they will resume routes that they have discontinued due to Covid, for example to America. There could be movement now, because vaccinated people can travel to the USA without any major problems.

United Airlines wants to fly from Berlin to New York again from December …
Exactly. The airline will test the market. If it then finds that New York is in high demand, there is also an economic justification for making air travel permanent.

Lufthansa continues to reject the long haul from Berlin.
Yes, and we don’t expect that to change tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

Then BER will not become an international hub like Frankfurt and Munich?
The basic requirements are set: the infrastructure is there. We don’t have the airline that also uses the hub. Easyjet or Ryanair allow good connections within Europe, but they are not hub airlines. We have to see how this develops.

The economy demands that the airport become an international hub, also against the background of the Tesla settlement in Brandenburg.
Above all, the economy wants it to be able to fly straight to where it would like to go. For the airlines, however, it is only worthwhile to operate such a route if there are people who fly the route regularly. But I agree with you: For the economy and the economic development of this region it is important that there are flight connections to the world. We are working on that.

Capital airport

The terminal building of the Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) in Schönefeld (Brandenburg).

(Photo: dpa)

What about short-haul flights within Germany that could be omitted for reasons of climate protection if the Greens have their way. Is that a threat to BER?
It’s about the goal behind it. But we all have to talk about the same thing: There are many connections that go abroad via hubs – in my opinion these are not purely domestic flights. Politicians have to take that into account. Germany as an aviation location must not be set back by wrong decisions.

So you are rather critical of what the Greens are calling for?
I only appeal to you to approach the question in a solution-oriented manner and to consider all aspects and facets. The fact that in the end people switch to their cars because domestic flights are no longer available cannot make sense.

Are you confident that an airport like BER can be operated economically under stricter climate protection requirements?
Yes, I do believe that, even though the airports will have to face a lot of burdens in order to become climate-neutral in the next few years. And we don’t know to what extent air traffic will be further burdened and how that will affect demand.

What advice do you give the negotiators of a possible traffic light or Jamaica coalition?
Be moderate, give industry air to breathe so that change can succeed.

BER Terminal 1

The new BER boss Aletta von Massenbach in the check-in hall of Terminal 1. The ceiling adorns “The Magic Carpet”, an installation by the Californian artist Pae White.

(Photo: Thomas Meyer / OSTKREUZ Thomas Meyer / OSTKREUZ for Handelsblatt)

Does flying have to become more expensive for climate protection reasons?
Yes, I assume so. Of course, all measures that reduce the negative footprint of aviation cost money. And because no airport or airline can handle this alone, the user has to co-finance it. You can see it this way: Flying enables us to travel very far very quickly, meet people, do business, but that has a price – and it is higher than previously calculated.

So there will be no more flights with ticket prices below 50 euros in the future?
For me, such ticket prices are pure marketing and only work with a mixed calculation. One pays 10 euros for the flight, the other 200 euros or more. In any case, it does not contribute to the thesis that flying is too cheap anyway.

Let’s look at the finances of BER. The airport is in enormous debt and has repeatedly faced liquidity bottlenecks. What is the current situation?
Not better. The airport has debts of 4.5 billion euros and due to the corona there are some more. That is not sustainable for an airport like BER.

What follows from this?
The plan is: The shareholders will waive part of this 4.5 billion euros or provide us with a total of 2.4 billion euros in stages up to and including 2023 in the form of equity so that we can use this money to repay loans.

But that has not yet been approved by Brussels.
No, but we are in constructive talks with the EU Commission and I am confident that we will receive positive feedback by the end of the year.

Does that mean that liquidity will be secured until the end of the year?
We already have a bit of additional buffer. But more money has to flow in the first quarter of 2022.

What if Brussels regards the support as unlawful aid? That would be a huge problem.
Naturally. But I’m not assuming that.

Do the owners have to prepare for further financial support?
I can’t rule that out. If there are politically caused burdens for us, for example through climate protection requirements, then I don’t know where we should get the money from. But otherwise we assume that we can make ends meet with our own cost-cutting measures and the proceeds from the growing business.

When will society make a profit?
We plan with a black zero in 2025.

Ms. von Massenbach, thank you very much for the interview.

More: Comment – Domestic flight bans will not save the climate

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