Temporary use of the BER southern runway in summer of 2017
In keeping up with rising passenger numbers, the Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH is expanding Schönefeld Airport to ensure necessary capacities. As reported in September of 2015, with the opening of the BER, aircraft operation surfaces will need to be strengthened and extended in order for operations to run parallel at both locations.
Due to planned construction works, the temporary closure of the take-off and landing runways at Schönefeld Airport will be necessary. Given the fact that after the BER’s opening, aircraft will need to taxi to terminals at both BER and Schönefeld (without impeding one another), infrastructural adjustments are required, and additional taxiways must be built.
Preexisting taxiways must also be modernised. Destined to be the future southern runway for take-off and landing of the BER, air traffic will be temporarily diverted there from Schönefeld, from 16 July 2017 to 28 October 2017. The structural expansion of the aircraft operation surfaces is divided into many subprojects. Measures to improve areas of the runway protection zones are therefore being carried out on the take-off and landing runways at Schönefeld Airport during the closures. Authorisation was granted by the Joint Aviation Authority of Berlin-Brandenburg (LuBB).
Information for residents
All residents that live within the foreseen boundaries for the temporary use of the southern runway have the right to so-called sound insulation measures. Due to this year’s recalculation of foreseen boundaries, in contrast to last year’s calculation, whereby additional residents are affected, residents themselves were personally informed in writing in July of 2016 about the situation, and asked to apply for sound insulation protection. Like during the modernisation of the northern runway in 2015, the Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH has also created a resident information portal – by phone and by email – in order to inform neighbouring residents about construction status and give the opportunity for residents to make complaints about excessive noise.
All information pertaining to the construction works and sound insulation programme can be found at the Neighbourhood Portal: http://nachbarn.berlin-airport.de
