Templehof Referendum - Last Chance for Historic Airport

[FireLight]

BBC Article here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7367209.stm



"Tempelhof is the pearl of the German capital," says Klaus Eisermann.

He has been working at Tempelhof airport for the last 44 years, and he knows every nook and cranny.
As he drives me around the vast airfield, the monolithic terminal building stretches out in front of us.
"I'm really sad that they're going to shut down Tempelhof," says Mr Eisermann.

"It's such an easy airport to use and you can reach the city centre in 20 minutes - it's so simple and it's a beautiful historic building."
"Tempelhof survived World War II, it kept Berliners fed during the Soviet blockade of the city, but the authorities want to get rid of it. I can't understand it. It's a political decision which doesn't make any sense," he says.

On Sunday, Berliners will be able to give their verdict on the planned closure of Tempelhof airport. The referendum has become such a divisive issue that a big turnout is expected.

The city authorities are adamant that Tempelhof has to close, to make way for a new international airport, Berlin Brandenburg International (BBI), on the outskirts of the city. It is due to open in 2011.



Commercially, it seems all but on it's last gasp in any event. The end of the line looms near ...

Will Berliners save it now or will it fade into history? Should it be saved? Anyone with any memories of flying into Tempelhof?

Definitely a loss from a historical perspective. An important place from the beginning of the Cold War and a key part of the Berlin Airlift which set the tone for world relationships for 50 years.

Terry

[Farrell]

I love Tempelhof.

Over the past two years I have flown into and out of it a few times in a Piper Cub with Flugholm and it is a an amazing place.

The walk in from the subway station is a sight to behold. The architecture is stunning and the atmosphere inside is still one of old style travel albeit much quieter now than before.

If you have no been there and have some time to spare, I would highly recommend a visit as if this place goes, you will not find another example like it on this side of the world.

[railwaysengineer]

Tempelhof Central Airport (TOF) is one of the worlds famous airfields with a lot of history to tell about.
I´m living a bit north of centerline 09 of that airfield.
The political argument (or better: legal argument) for closing the field is, that the new airport "BBI" (under construction, now operating as SXF, the former East German airport southeast of Berlin) will be legally endangered by continuing Tempelhof (TOF) and Tegel (TXL).
There are a lot of people, who are interested in continuing TOF as airfield (mainly for business and smaller prop aircraft).
There is no actual planning for the use of that big area and the big building (which was never really completed, I took part at a sightseeing tour in the building, including the former american facilities . . . very interesting) after closing as airfield. Nothing.

And . . . the mayor of Berlin (Wowereit his name) told the people before, that he will close the field as planned, whatever the people today will decide on the election.

Interesting development, we will see. . .

[Farrell]

Remember that other muppet mayor from Meigs Field?

[Denti]

It is a sad story all around the closure of that wonderful airport. It is expected that the vote will be very high in favor of keeping Tempelhof open, however that vote is not legally binding to the senate of berlin and as mentioned above the mayor allready told everybody he will go ahead and close it in any case.

I did what i could and voted to keep it open this morning, however i'm afraid that won't do enough.

[redsnail]

I love operating into Templehof. A beautiful grand old building with so much history. The approach is fun and very enjoyable. :ok:

[rubik101]

Most Cities in the World would give an arm and a leg to have a city centre airport such as TOF. I can't fathom the decision myself, except to say that it was purely political arm-twisting, misguided Green activists and vast amounts of embezzled and misappropriated public money that got BBF in to such a mess in the first place. They spent huge amounts of money on land which will never be part of the 'new' SXF back in the early 90s. They forced the Berlin City Council to accept that SXF had to be developed at the expense of TOF and TXL, otherwise it would not be viable if all the short haul and business travelers used the two smaller airfields.

When you consider that Leipzig, not so many miles away, designed, planned and built a new airport in a few short years in the mid-nineties, taking a lot of the traffic which might have used SXF, you can see that the BBF already have the makings of the biggest white elephant in the western world.

Closing TOF simply shows how big business and political in-fighting can ruin a perfectly useful and usable airport in the heart of the city.

Go see the place, above and below ground, before they wire the doors closed.

[parabellum]

Apparently there is something in the local laws which limits the number of operational airports in and around Berlin, if they close TOF then they will be allowed to open BBI.

Just about all the buildings are listed anyway so they won't be coming down. Seems an ideal place for an aviation college, a maintenance base, a museum, possibly an FTS if it can safely integrate with BBI traffic, there is a huge ex Russian airfield just outside Berlin along the old corridor so training traffic could do low level departures/arrivals and then spend the day at the old Russian field bothering no one.

I think it simply has to close as a licenced commercial airport for scheduled passenger traffic.

[Lord Bracken]

I appreciate that THF is a historic landmark (and, along with the Olympic Stadium, one of the only remaining examples of large-scale Nazi triumphalist architecture) but is not the real issue that they'll be closing Tegel at some point? Only slightly further from Mitte and the governmental district than THF, it's an ideal city centre airport with the added advantage of having full European and transatlantic capability.

It'll be a pain to have to schlepp out to BBI/SXF in future, high-speed link or not.

[Beatriz Fontana]

There was a lovely piece on the BBC World Service about it yesterday. They reckon that the referendum isn't binding, merely an opinion poll.

Begs the question as to whether Templehof could become a small London City-type airport. Whatever, Tegel needs sorting out. I've flown into there a number of times and, for a capital city, the airport really is a bit pokey.

Tegel's also in the wrong place and it takes forever to get into the city centre (no, wait, that sounds like Heathrow....).

Tough call, mind. A greater Schonefeld - long overdue - and a Nazi-era City airport. That's what I'd like to see. Although German sentiment in dealing with the Nazi past is still a very sticky and emotive issue.

[Hobo]

Took a Trident 3 into there in the 70's.

[AKAAB]

I was based at Templehof in 1990-1991 with Templehof Airways doing air ambulance flights for Deutsch Rettungsflug (German Air Rescue). In fact, I took my Lear ATP type ride there with an FAA examiner from Frankfort. So, I have many fond memories of the airfield.

The building is simply amazing and should be kept open as a landmark. One morning I met an elderly gentleman at an outdoor cafe whose uncle had designed the building. He left and came back a few minutes later with a book of pictures and sketches of the plans. Many people don't know this, but the building was not complete. If you look at the original plans, the footprint of the building was to resemble the German eagle. The wings were done and one leg, but the eagle is virtually unrecognizable now.

Sad to hear it's all shut down.

Does anyone know what happened to the Sonari Choir that had a rehearsal hall/pub in the building?

[ARINC]

Templehof and Tegel will both be closed by 2012 to be replaced by BBI

http://www.berlin-airport.de/EN/BBI/index.html

No further room or possibility of permission to expand either of the older airports. Given the amount of private money they actually managed to raise to get BBI of the blocks I would think it commercial folly to keep either TXL or THF open. Berlin cannot support more than one airport ( currently a total of only something like ten connections a week to the US for instance) let alone 3.

Can you tell...I voted against it.

[FireLight]

Unfortunately, it looks like commercial realities will triumph over history and sentimentality. It seems all but certain that the airport will be shut down as a commercial entity, even if the referendum shows massive support for the airport. (Google maps showed one TP on the apron, and around a dozen light aircraft)

From a sentimental perspective, I don't think many could vote against it. At the time, (1948) it saved Berlin, and showed the commitment of the west in dealing with Soviet aggression. But as shown in so many other similar situations, money tends to triumph over memory.

video here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7368495.stm

Wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Blockade

Canadian Press: http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hmIItnGIVwTOQaOFIk_vaAubc-ow

Traffic to Tempelhof is currently at 350,000/year in 2007 versus 1.5M/year capacity. 20M/year pax traffic for all Berlin airports.

[jetopa]

Closing THF would be a damn shame. I suppose, doing so would make some real estate speculators happy. However, having a downtown airport is an asset which would be missed by everyone once it's gone. But then it's too late.:ugh:

Why not keeping it open only for business aviation and Government flights at a significantly steeper user fee? The CEOs, VIPs and heads of state would probably be glad to pay for the luxury of landing right there.

[basilia]

There is so much untold history to Tempelhof...such as it having the first underground rail connection which was never utilised. It was and is the best city airport in Europe and it's such a shame that SOME wretched politicians want to close it.

[Kraut]

BBI (new to build airport at Schönefeld) will be at opening already at a saturation level. What will then be happening with the GAT space available?
Tempelhof would be the solution.
But according a courts decision this does not matter.
We Germans have a heavily disturbed relation to our own history!

My "flying roots" started at Tempelhof, when, a young kid, I observed the traffic from a fence from outside and made the decision to become a pilot.
I was born during the Airbridge to Tempelhof. My parents made clear, that my well being as a baby was only assured by landing support aircraft at Tempelhof!
Nowadays, flying as a pax on Props to Tempelhof, I still see the spot where I watched DC-4 and DC-3 taking off and landing.
Unfortunately I never had the chance to land any aircraft at Tempelhof.
For me the closing is a terrible issue.:(

[kingair9]

Just announced on German TV: Referendum failed.

[the bald eagle]

Me thinks not to vote for that 2 bob toss pot mayor again

Sad day for TXF, Flew there from Biggin last year in a PA28...a surperb airport for GA, we were also given hangar space free of charge due to crap weather, tell me another international airport that would offer that for free and morel

[Asrian]

The referendum didn't come through because not enough citizens voted. They needed 25%, only about 22% went to the vote.
But from the citizens who did vote, about 60% voted for Tempelhof, about 40% to close it. So...if a few more people would have gone to the referendum, it would have been a success!

A very sad day indeed. In my opinion THF is not only something special of Berlin, but one of the roots of german aviation and a national memorial.

Well...still a few months to fly there or visit it during a Berlin trip.

A general GA-fly-in is planned for may 3rd/4th...

[S'land]

One is, to say the least, very sad at this decision. Not only will we lose a tremendous amount of history when Tempelhof closes, but also an airport where the staff still want to make flying enjoyable. I have used it many times and will miss being able to in future years.

[Nardi Riviera]

Any signals regarding what will happen to the building after airport is closed?

[rubik101]

The building is listed as an historic monument so will not be destroyed. The airfield will apparently be preserved as a 'green' space within the city so no blocks of flats or offices. It is hoped to develop it as a leisure facility, whatever that means. I imagine something along the lines of the Tivoli will emerge as favourite.

[Kerosene Kraut]

There will be a Fly in at Tempelhof airport next weekend. International guests are welcome.
http://www.rettet-tempelhof.de/

[diddy1234]

its a great shame to hear that THF is closing.

It sort of mirrors what has happened with the Hatfield site.
Talking of which, it will be interesting to see what does get preserved (buildings, taxy ways etc) and remembered for future generations.

Maybe there could even a museum at the site, wont hold my breath though !

Hatfield's site today is a discrace, Only the control tower exists and that's a sports complex !

I would seem that Germany and Britain do have something in common, that we are both ashamed of our history......

RD

[Basil]

Article (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/arts/design/20tempelhof.html?pagewanted=1) & slide show (http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/05/20/arts/20080520_TEMPELHOF_SLIDESHOW_index.html?th&emc=th) from NYT.

Edited to say that you may have to be registered (free) to view.