This morning at 10:21 (local time), United Airlines flight 963 took off from Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) and headed to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). The flight is monumental as it is the first-ever to the United States from Berlin Brandenburg Airport.

Berlin Brandenburg

Berlin's newest airport, Berlin Brandenburg Airport, opened in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. The airport began operations on October 31, 2020. The construction of the airport turned into a nine-year delay due to faulty construction, design flaws, and allegations of corruption. Most Berliners never thought that day would come as the new airport had been 29 years in the making, and no new airport had been opened in the city since the Cold War.

Plans were made to open the new airport in 1991. Construction began in 2006 and was due to be completed in 2011 but was delayed nine years. In total, the airport took 14 years to build. There were multiple issues regarding the terminal's construction, including inadequate fire safety systems. These issues opened the door for many people to shut down the project. The attempts to halt the airport construction were futile, and Lufthansa and easyJet were the first two airlines to operate flights at the new airport on October 31, 2020.

History In the Making

As this article is being written, UA963 is entering Canadian airspace. UA963 was scheduled to take off from BER at 09:50 (local time) but was delayed by 31 minutes to 10:21. Although the flight took off late, it is due to arrive in EWR 27 minutes ahead of schedule.

Since BER opened for operations on October 31, 2020, no flights have been operated to the US because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The last time an airline operated a flight from Berlin to the United States was on March 20, 2020. Until the pandemic, United operated its Berlin flights to the Tegel Airport in Berlin. The Tegel Airport was closed on November 8, 2020, and is now being used to welcome Ukrainian refugees fleeing their country due to the crisis with Russia. Berlin was never a central hub for flights to the United States because of German history. When Germany was divided, Lufthansa, West Germany's flag carrier, was not allowed to fly to Berlin. Because of this, Frankfurt became a central hub for US and intercontinental flights.

Hope for the Future

Berlin's Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey, Aletta von Massenbach, CEO of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH, and Thorsten Lettnin, Director Sales Continental Europe, India & West Africa at United Airlines, were present at the airport for this monumental occasion.

United will service the route with its Boeing 767-400ER aircraft, which have a capacity of 240 passengers in a three-class configuration. Initially, the route will see six weekly flights. But beginning on May 5, United will service the Berlin route daily. United has quickly established itself as the most significant US player in the German aviation market, operating nonstop flights to Germany for over 30 years. During the summer, United is planning 119 weekly flights from Germany to the US and another 42 flights to Switzerland. United will operate more flights than before the pandemic between the two countries.