Tegel Airport
and the views from the plane

I flew to Berlin from Copenhagen, with Air Berlin. The flight took only one hour. The plane arrived at Tegel Airport in the Northwest part of Berlin. It is the largest airport serving Berlin, and 4th largest in Germany. Commercial flights have operated there since 1960, but at the time of my arrival (August 2012), it was an airport that had only a year left before it would close. Berlin's 3 airports; Schönefeld, Tempelhof and Tegel will be merged into one new, called Willy Brandt Berlin-Brandenburg Airport. The location will be where Schönefeld is right now. Tempelhof closed in 2008. Actually the new super airport was planned to open already in June 2012, but it has been postponed because of technical issues. It will open in October 2013.

The airport has been known for its large terminal (it has only one) of octagonal shape that makes the distance shorter to the planes.

Tegel lies very close to residential buildings, so it will probably be good for the inhabitants when the airport close.

Central Berlin (Mitte) seen from the plane. In the middle you can see Alexanderplatz with Fernsehturm. To the right is the cathedral.

Fernsehturm behind the wing.

The outskirts of Berlin.

Commie blocks in the outskirts of Berlin.

When entering Air Berlin's aircrafts at Tegel, you take the bus from the terminal to enter from a stairway. This is not the most usual way.