air traffic
BER Airport again with a high loss
Travelers in front of Terminal 1 of the Capital Airport BER. Photo: Patrick Pleul/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Things are still not going well for BER. It’s starting to look like the company could get the effects of the pandemic under control. But there is also uncertainty.
Long check-in times, broken moving walkways, annoyed passengers and financial problems: Even the first full year of operation was difficult for the capital’s new BER airport.
The loss that the Berlin-Brandenburg Airport Company (FBB) made last year was almost 570 million euros, according to boss Aletta von Massenbach.
Around half of the shortfall was due to external special effects such as the general uncertainty in the industry and rising interest rates. This almost halved the loss compared to the previous year. But that was “only partially reassuring,” emphasized von Massenbach.
Equity fully depleted
FBB still does not earn enough to fully finance its own operations. The equity is completely consumed by the loss of millions. Flight operations can only continue with the help of the owners – the federal government and the states of Berlin and Brandenburg.
It is clear to FBB and the owners that these problems are likely to continue for a number of years. Meanwhile, the gradual economic recovery is largely going according to plan. The passengers are gradually returning. “In some cases we are back to the pre-crisis level,” said von Massenbach. On individual days and times of day, just as many people traveled via BER as before the pandemic via the then Berlin airports Tegel and Schönefeld.
In addition, the EU Commission approved state aid of 1.7 billion euros in February, which BER needs, among other things, to pay off debt. Looking at the figures, von Massenbach expects positive operating earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) again this year. Sales are expected to increase to almost 550 million euros, which would be double the figure for 2021.
Good news for passengers
And the manager also had positive messages for the passengers: 8 of the 16 non-functioning treadmills should be running again before the summer holidays.
Although there were still jerky processes here and there over the Easter travel days. Nevertheless, von Massenbach is confident that a scenario like that of the autumn holidays will not be repeated for passengers. At that time, staff shortages and corona measures in particular led to long waiting times at check-in and arrival. According to its own statements, the airport is now coordinating more closely with the federal police and ground handling service providers before travel days with high occupancy.
But above all in view of the war in Ukraine, the threat of energy embargoes and high energy costs, the question remains whether the upward trend in passenger numbers will continue. “What we have to expect in the industry is that ticket prices will increase,” said von Massenbach. This usually has an impact on demand.