Legendary Airport to Close

A Berlin court on Monday threw out objections from 13 companies and airlines that use Tempelhof. The companies were trying to challenge an earlier decision to stop flights landing at the inner-city airport.

The court ruled that the airport will close in October 2008.

The decision finally draws a line under a long debate on Tempelhof's future use. The airlines and companies that use the historic airstrip wanted city authorities to keep the airport open until work is completed on a new international airport, the Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport (BBI) in the city's eastern Schönefeld district. BBI is scheduled to be finished by 2011.

"This court decision finally brings clarity and I welcome it," Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee said. "Now we must look ahead and focus our energy on getting Berlin-Brandenburg International (BBI) airport finished and ready."

Some politicians have lent their support to the airliners operating in Tempelhof, saying the decision is a short-sighted one.

"There is absolutely no argument against keeping Tempelhof open until the official opening of the new airport in Schönefeld," said conservative politician Friedbert Pflüger.

But it remains unlikely that the city-state of Berlin, already saddled heavily with debts, will attempt to rescue Tempelhof from closure.

Tempelhof, which today handles a few domestic flights as well as a shuttle to Brussels, was designed by Nazi architects. The cavernous airport is believed to be one of the world's largest buildings.

Tempelhof remains best known as the site of the famous Berlin airlift.

After the city was split into east and west following World War II, the Allies led an airlift of supplies and food into Tempelhof when the Soviets blockaded West Berlin in 1948.