- Title: GERMANY: Last flights for Berlin's iconic airport, Tempelhof
- Date: 31st October 2008
- Summary: 'CANDY BOMBER' ON THE RUNWAY INTERIOR OF 'CANDY BOMBER' AERIAL OF BERLIN WITH TV TOWER AND TEMPELHOF AIRPORT EXTERIOR OF TEMPELHOF
- Embargoed: 15th November 2008 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany
- City:
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky,Travel / Tourism
- Reuters ID: LVA1UT22X1EC6JZF21764IRQ126V
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: Hundreds of people came to catch a final glimpse of Berlin's Tempelhof airport before the last planes roll down its runways and the Cold War relic shuts its gates on Thursday (October 30).
Dubbed "the mother of all airports" by architect Sir Norman Foster, the iconic pre-war construction dominates a huge stretch of land in central Berlin the size of New York's Central Park. A functioning airstrip since 1923, its monolithic limestone terminal building was built between 1936 and 1941 by forced labourers on the orders of Nazi architect Albert Speer.
But Tempelhof is best known for the so-called Candy Bomber and it's role after World War Two, when Soviet forces blockaded West Berlin in 1948 and Western forces flew more than 2 million tonnes of supplies into Tempelhof for nearly a full year to feed the city.
"I am very sad that they are closing this airport, it's such a historical airport and the oldest airport in the world. I have had the privilege of working here so many years and that tomorrow it's going to be closed forever, it's just hard to believe, it's really a sad thing for Berlin and for the German people," said one American flight controller, Bruce Christie.
Tempelhof has continued to operate as a commercial airport, but its fate was sealed in April after a referendum to prevent its closure failed because of low turnout.
Since the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, the capital has operated three airports - Schoenefeld in the east, Tegel in the northwest and Tempelhof, which is just south of the city centre.
Construction has already begun on Berlin Brandenburg International (BBI), a gleaming new 3-billion euro airport, which is due to open in 2011 next to Schoenefeld.
Thomas Knorr from Cirrus airlines said they will have to transfer to Tegel airport at the other side of the city, and that their clients would miss out on the quiet atmosphere they had been able to provide them with, as the check-in would become much more complicated.
"For our clients it means that they will lose the calm atmosphere here which they will miss. In Tegel it will be much tighter and more hectic - here we can check-in up to 20 minutes before the flight leaves," Knorr said.
The last planes will fly out of Tempelhof just before midnight on Thursday. It is unclear what will happen to the site, which still stirs strong emotions with many Berliners.
"I am outraged, it is absolute nonsense. It would be a different thing if Schoenefeld BBI was actually working," said Dieter Schulz.
"It's a shame. I like city airports because they are nice and are easy for people to get to, so it is a shame when one is closed," said Dirk Heinrich who was one of hundreds of people, who travelled to the airport on Wednesday, to bid it a last farewell. Television and radio stations have held competitions to win tickets on the airport's last flights.
Which means the end of Tempelhof, one of the oldest operating airports in the world and a powerful symbol of the Cold War and of German-American friendship. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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