After talks between Air Berlin and Transport Minister, negotiations to go ahead for summer 2012 flight schedule

Impact of air travel tax decisive for Air Berlin's withdrawal of operations

Erfurt (FEG, 22.08.11; LN) Following talks between Thuringia's Transport Minister Carius, representatives of the Ministry of Transport, Erfurt-Weimar Airport, the financial directors of Air Berlin and the airline's new CEO, Hartmut Mehdorn, negotiations are to go ahead for the summer 2012 flight schedule. “We are cautiously optimistic that, in the course of the negotiations, we will be able to present Air Berlin with a package which can earn them good money in Erfurt next summer,” said airport spokesman Lothar Neyer regarding the talks with the ministry in Berlin. However, he could not provide more details about the number of potential flights or their destinations.

According to the spokesman, low capacity on flights from Erfurt was evidently not the reason why the airline announced its withdrawal of operations. During the talks, Mehdorn had cited the cost structure of the airline and in particular air travel tax as the reason for their drastic measures at Erfurt's airport. These comments both disprove the airport's critics and reinforce the statements of the airport's management. As a matter of fact, the direct flights from Erfurt to Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Palma de Mallorca, Corfu and Thessaloniki run at 82 percent capacity. Thuringia's Transport Minister Christian Carius completely supports the adaptive strategy suggested by the management of Erfurt-Weimar Airport. The company plans to make significant savings, defer investments and take a series of acquisition-oriented measures, including potentially resuming negotiations with Air Berlin. This target has now been met thanks to the Transport Minister and his Thuringian delegation in Berlin. The airport's spokesman thanked the minister, also on behalf of all the company's employees, for his swift and resolute actions.

Brief Profile of Erfurt-Weimar Airport
Erfurt-Weimar Airport is an international commercial airport. It is the only airport in the federal state of Thuringia. It specialises in charter and cargo flights. Approximately 324,000 passengers used the airport last year. Cargo volume was about 2,650 t. Erfurt-Weimar Airport is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as it is not subject to any bans on night flights. More than 120 people work for the Management GmbH and more than 530 work at the airport. Over 30 companies and organisations are now located on the premises. At the same time, over 800 more jobs in the region are indirectly dependent on the airport.

Flughafen Erfurt GmbH
Marketing – Media – Public relations
Lothar Neyer
Tel.: +49 361 656-2235
Fax: +49 361 656-2264
Email: lothar.neyer(at)flughafen-erfurt-weimar.de