The US West Coast can now be reached non-stop from BER. The Norwegian airline Norse Atlantic Airways will now be flying three times a week to Los Angeles. This is a new, attractive long-haul destination for BER. In addition, the low-cost airline, which specialises in long-haul flights, has also been flying to New York JFK Airport every day since mid-August and will start flying to Fort Lauderdale in Florida from December. All connections are operated with Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which emit less CO2 emissions and are quieter than many other long-distance aircraft.
Thomas Hoff Anderson, Chief Operations Officer, Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH:
“Finally, the capital region and the West Coast of the USA are directly connected again. I am optimistic that the new offer will be well received. Business, cultural and personal relationships will be revived and many new ones will be come about. People in the greater L.A. area will also quickly appreciate the advantages provided by a direct connection to the German capital and Brandenburg.”
Thom-Arne Norheim, Chief Operating Officer, Norse Atlantic Airways:
“The start of low-cost direct flights by Norse Atlantic Airways between Germany and the United States will boost both local tourism and the economy by supporting job creation across the tourism and service industries.”
Stephan Schwarz, Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises in Berlin:
“I am delighted that after 5 years there is once again a direct connection between Berlin and Los Angeles – an important sign of an awakening and new beginning our business and tourism location. Already on Wednesday, the new long-haul connection between Berlin and New York City paved the way for easier transatlantic economic relations between the two metropolises. L.A. is something special – it’s Berlin’s only and also oldest city partnership in North America. The Bay Area is also where most of the investment flowing into Berlin comes from. However, the new BER-LAX connection will not only create a direct option for business travellers, it will also significantly benefit tourism. And transatlantic relations between the two metropolises will once again open up new prospects and opportunities for politics, NGOs, culture and business in both directions.
Robert Rückel, Vice President of the Berlin Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK):
“Two new flight connections from Berlin will strengthen existing destinations and connect the metropolitan region to another destination. Today’s maiden flight to the west of the USA creates a direct connection from Berlin to Los Angeles. It is not just the economy and incoming tourism that benefit, but above all the capital region’s residents. Furthermore, the new flight meets a central requirement of Berlin’s businesses, which have wanted more long-haul connections to and from Berlin (72.3%) for a long time. The quick and uncomplicated start of Norse Atlantic Airlines at BER should be understood by political and administrative stakeholders as an example of the successful connection of the capital to locations outside of Europe. The interest and demand from businesses as well as the airlines is there.”
