Berlin Airports decided to host World Routes 2011 in order to showcase its new airport development, Airport Berlin Brandenburg International (BER), and inform the route development community of the city’s rapid structural transformation since the reunification of Germany. It will be the only major European hub with the potential to double its capacity over the next decade.

"The Berlin Brandenburg Airport will be one of the most advanced airports in Europe, which will make Berlin an ideal gateway for new intercontinental routes to Europe. With World Routes in Berlin, the international trade public will have the opportunity to form their own impression of the new Airport Berlin Brandenburg International before it opens," says Dr Rainer Schwarz, CEO of Berlin Airports.

Event preview

World Routes organisers have a record number of attendees already confirmed for the event, reflecting the growing importance of the airline/airport relationship as the world wrestles with varying economic fortunes.

World Routes in Berlin will help attending airlines, airports and tourism authorities to seek out new opportunities, negotiate and build on existing air services, and network with industry decision-makers.

As a consequence of the ever-evolving nature of route development, and the increasing involvement of airports and their stakeholder business partners, airlines are fielding wider teams, tailored to match the arranged meetings. Led of course by network planning, airline teams include:

  • scheduling
  • procurement and revenue management
  • airport relations
  • alliances
  • government affairs
  • and sales and marketing.

Attendees

More than 500 airline delegates representing over 300 airlines of all types from all regions of the world are expected to attend the 17th World Routes event, including Air China, Hainan Airlines and China Southern, among others from the region, together with AirAsia, Qantas, Cathay Pacific and Vietnam Airlines from Asia-Pacific. African airlines including Egyptair, Air Nigeria and Arik Air are all using the event as part of their planning.

Middle Eastern airlines including Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways are confirmed together with all the major US carriers including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, US Airways and Air Canada. North American low-cost carriers JetBlue, Southwest and WestJet will also be in attendance, together with LAN and TAM from South America. Attendees from the European low-cost sector include Wizz Air, Ryanair, easyJet and Air Berlin. Full-service carriers include British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France and KLM.

"We are delighted with the airline attendees and from the airport and tourism side the growth in key markets such as India, China and Latin America is reflected in our confirmed attendees. With this year’s event being in a major European location and increased competition in Europe, we are seeing more new and smaller airports come in to secure their attendance," says Nigel Mayes, vice-president and commercial director, UBM Aviation Routes.