Berlin Tegel Airport (
airport code TXL)
is located about 8 km (or 5 miles) northwest from the center
(
Mitte) of
Berlin,
Germany.
There are several buses
which are convenient ways to get downtown. The
X09
(express) and
109 (local) go to the large train
station, the
Zoologischer Garten station in
West Berlin, from which
one can board the
S-bahn or the
U-bahn. The other
convenient bus is the
TXL which goes more directly
to the East side of the
Brandenburg Gate (
Brandenburger
Tor).
The airport terminal is a hexagon which makes it a
short walk from your car to the check-in counter.
However, the hall is fairly narrow, so when people
are queued to check-in or amassed, awaiting
a flight's arrival, walking around the hexagon can
be taxing. There is a sizable shopping area which
is contained in one corner of the terminal.
The airport was constructed during the Berlin airlift
under the Soviet Union blockade of 1948-49. Tegel was
the sight of Europe's longest runway then. After
the blockade was lifted, the French began using the
airport for civilian flights, and in 1960 Air France
started operating between Paris and Berlin.
Tegel is only one of three airports in Berlin, the other two are
Tempelhof and Schoenefeld. A planned extension and
renovation of the latter will lead to the closing
of Tegel, around 2010.
Berlin Tegel is served by the following airlines:
Aero Lloyd, Air Berlin, Air France, Alitalia, Alpi Eagles, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Buzz,
Croatia Airlines, Crossair, CSA Czech Airlines, Deutsche BA, Finnair, Germania, Hapag Lloyd,
Iberia, Iran Air, KLM, Lithuanian Airways,
LOT Polish Airlines, LTU, Lufthansa,
Malev Hungarian, MIAT, Olympic Airways,
Onur Air, Portugalia, Swissair, and Turkish Airlines.
Call +49 (0)30 4101 2306 for flight
information.