Berlin Airports Explained: Is Tegel Still Open?

You booked a flight to Berlin, and somewhere in the planning your search history filled up with three names: Tegel, Schönefeld, and BER. A friend mentions Tegel. An old blog post lists SXF. Your booking confirmation says BER. So which one do you actually land at, and how many airports does this city have?

Here is the short, calming answer, and it is one of the easiest things to get right about a Berlin trip. Berlin's scheduled passenger flights now use one airport: BER.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), Terminal 1. Berlin's passenger air traffic has been concentrated at BER since Tegel's final flight on 8 November 2020.

Berlin airports in 2026: one airport, one name

For years Berlin was the city with the airport situation that never ended. Two working airports, a third one famous for closing, and a new one that took so long to open it became a national joke. That era is over. In 2026, Berlin's scheduled passenger flights use one place: Berlin Brandenburg Airport, code BER, officially named after Willy Brandt.

BER sits on Berlin's south-eastern edge, beside Schönefeld. Terminal 1 opened on 31 October 2020, and Berlin's passenger traffic was concentrated at BER after Tegel handled its final flight on 8 November 2020. So when you compare Berlin airports today, you are really comparing terminals inside one airport, plus former airports you can still visit.

If a booking site or an old guide still shows TXL or SXF for a scheduled passenger flight to Berlin, it is out of date. Your booking should show BER. That is the single most useful thing to know before you fly.

Terminal 1, Terminal 2, and the ghost of Terminal 5

BER has two passenger terminals, and they are close together.

Terminal 1 (T1) is the big main building, the one in most photos. Many full-service and budget airlines use it, including Lufthansa and easyJet in the current BER terminal list. Do not assume a terminal from the airline name alone: check your booking or the official BER flight information, because assignments can change.

Terminal 2 (T2) is a smaller building right next to T1. The current BER list places Ryanair and Wizz Air there, but your own booking is the final word. Do not panic if your boarding pass says T2. It is not a separate airport: the signed walk to T1 takes about five minutes. The airport station is under T1 on level U2, and T2 passengers reach it through the level E0 passage.

Then there is Terminal 5. You may still see it mentioned, so it is worth clearing up: T5 was the old Schönefeld Airport building, kept on as an overflow terminal when BER opened. It has since been closed for good. No flights use it. If any itinerary points you at Terminal 5, treat it as a mistake and check with your airline.

Terminal 2 sits beside Terminal 1, about a five-minute signed walk away. The airport station is under T1 on level U2.

Wait, what happened to Tegel?

Tegel is the airport people miss. TXL closed in November 2020, a few weeks after BER opened, and for a lot of Berliners that was an emotional goodbye. Its hexagonal terminal was famously efficient: you could get from taxi to gate in minutes, because the whole building was designed as one tight ring of short walks.

Today the Tegel site is being turned into a research and housing district, the Urban Tech Republic and the Schumacher Quartier. The runways no longer handle flights, but the distinctive hexagonal terminal still stands. So if your travel memories or a well-meaning friend send you to Tegel, gently redirect: there are no flights there, and there have not been since 8 November 2020.

Tegel's hexagonal terminal still stands, but the airport handled its final flight on 8 November 2020.

And Schönefeld and Tempelhof?

Two more names that confuse first-time visitors, and both have simple answers.

Schönefeld (SXF) did not vanish, it got absorbed. Its terminal became BER's Terminal 5, and as noted above that terminal is now closed. The name Schönefeld still exists as a place and an S-Bahn station, but as an airport it is part of BER's story, not a separate destination.

Tempelhof (THF) is the one worth going out of your way for. The airport closed in 2008, and Tempelhofer Feld opened to the public as a free park in 2010. On a summer afternoon you will find Berliners cycling down the old taxiways, flying kites, and using the designated barbecue areas beside the old runways. It is one of my favourite easy recommendations for a relaxed few hours, and you can read more in my guide to Tempelhof Airport and its park.

Tempelhof Airport closed in 2008, and Tempelhofer Feld opened as a public park in 2010.

Getting from BER into the city

Landing at one airport instead of three makes arrival simple, and the rail connection does most of the work. The station is called Flughafen BER – Terminal 1-2, but the physical entrance is under Terminal 1 on level U2. From Terminal 2, follow the signs through level E0 to T1. The official BER transport page carries current routes and live-departure links.

The fastest simple option is the FEX, the Flughafen-Express. It runs about every 15 minutes through most of the day and reaches Berlin Hauptbahnhof in around 23 minutes, travelling via Südkreuz and Potsdamer Platz. For most visitors heading to central or western Berlin, this is the first line to look for on the board.

The current regional lines are RE20, RB22, RB24 and RB32. RE20 follows the same central corridor as the FEX, while RB24 and RB32 are useful for Ostkreuz. The S-Bahn S9 runs every 20 minutes and is slower but direct to Alexanderplatz and the Stadtbahn; the S85 is another 20-minute airport service towards Ostkreuz. The S9 is not an all-night train every day: continuous overnight service applies on Friday and Saturday nights, so check the live board for a late weekday arrival. A taxi usually takes roughly 35 to 45 minutes and costs about 55 to 65 euros for central Berlin, depending on traffic and destination. Ride-hailing apps show their own live price before you book.

One ticket rule matters here: BER is in fare zone C, so any train to or from the airport needs a Berlin ABC ticket, which is 5.00 euros for a single in 2026. Buy it from a BVG or VBB machine or app before you board. Validate a paper ticket on the platform, or activate a digital ticket before starting the journey. For the full step-by-step to one popular destination, see my guide on getting from the airport to Alexanderplatz, and for the wider network there is my Berlin public transport explainer.

The FEX Airport Express links BER with Berlin Hauptbahnhof in about 23 minutes.

Use the tool below to see, at a glance, which Berlin airports are open and how each way into the city compares.

A simple arrival plan

If you want the whole thing in one breath: your scheduled passenger flight uses BER, you will arrive at Terminal 1 or Terminal 2, and you will follow the signs to the station under T1 to catch the FEX or another train into town on an ABC ticket. That is the airport puzzle solved.

The old names are worth knowing only so you can ignore them on a flight booking. Tegel is a redevelopment site with a beautiful hexagon, Schönefeld's former airport terminal is closed, and Tempelhof is a park. None of those former airport codes should be printed on a current scheduled passenger booking. For a smoother first few hours overall, my first-time visitor mistakes guide covers the small things that trip people up on day one, and my departure guide handles the trip back out when it is time to leave.

Once you are in the centre and over the flight, the best way to make sense of Berlin is on foot. My free walking tour starts at Alexanderplatz and spends about 2 hours on the historic core, and it is an easy, low-pressure way to get your bearings on the first or second day. However you arrive, the airport part is the simplest it has been in decades.

Photo attribution is available from the compact Image credits disclosure inside the Berlin Airports Explainer above.