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January 18, 2018Berlin Brandenburg Spotting Guide
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- last modified on August 13, 2021
After many many years of delay, Berlin´s new main airport “Berlin Brandenburg” (BER) openend on the 31st of October 2020. The airport was originally planned to open in October 2011, five years after starting construction in 2006 and replaces nearby Schönefeld as well the airports Tegel (8th of November 2020) and Tempelhof (already being closed in 2008). On 11 December 2009, the decision was made to honouring a person with a distinctive link to the city of Berlin and give the airport a second name – “Berlin Willy Brandt Airport”. Regular airlines they visiting BER daily are e.g. Lufthansa, Delta Airlines, KLM/Air France, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Aeroflot, Egpytair, Wizz Air and some more. Major airlines are represented at BER are Eurowings, EasyJet and Ryanair which using BER as hub in East Germany. Apart from this you might see some Charters or Freighters and also the German Government flights sometimes.
The airport’s history is massively affected by the history of Berlin as Schönefeld became East-Germany after WW2 and that’s why the airport is quite old and was behind Tegel for a long time. The old Schönefeld Terminal are rebranded to BER Terminal 5 since 25 October 2020 and is scheduled to be operated until the inauguration of planned Terminal 3 by 2030.
Written by Sebastian Lupp and Tommy Pfeiffer (local spotters); Martin, Rogosz (Overview images), Patrick Weis and Severin Hackenberger (regular visitors); Jakob Otto (Images Spot12), Lukas Fehr (pics 14 and 16). Last update: April 2021
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| Photo Locations | |
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| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 07L/25R | 3600m x 45m (tarmac) |
| 07R/25L | 4000m x 60m (creton) |
| Terminals | |
| Terminal 1 | All other carriers – handling all operations as of 2021 now while T5 is closed till 2022. |
| Terminal 2 | Not opened yet (expected for March 2021) |
| Terminal 3 | Not build and opened yet (expected for 2030) |
| Terminal 5 | |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Needed at a few spots and at those quite important for better pictures so to be safe take one with you. |
| Car/Public Transport | Absolutely needed, without car/bicycle spotting at BER is catastrophic! |
| Restrooms | Can be found in the marked restaurants and the terminals. |
| Drinks/Food | Inside the terminals, at the restaurants or inside the nearby cities. |
| Hotels | Around the airport are some hotels, but rather in the northern direction. |
| Season | There are no “real seasons”, but in the winter months you might see some Russian heavies. For special extra flights you can look here and for the normal daily plans you can have a look here. |
| Runway Usage | |
| General Info | +++ Runway OPS often change now during COVID-19 and this may lead to spontaneous closures or simililar (as off 1st of April they plan to only use one runway all the time: April southern runway, May northern Runway, June southern runway, …) +++ These are the common runway patterns at BER: |
| 07L/25R | Arrivals and departures from/to North |
| 07R/25L | Arrivals and departures from/to South |
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Schwarzer Weg - Arrivals 25R
| WHERE | The spot is along the “Schwarzer Weg”. You can park your car next to the road, but please off the road. If you are using a car you should use a GPS-System, because it’s quite tricky to find the way through all the terminal driveways. |
| WHAT | Landings on runway 25R |
| TIME | From morning (8:00) till late afternoon (15:30) in summer, in winter months fom sunrise till sunset. |
| MISC. | No ladder needed! This spot is by the roadside. Sometimes police guards are passing by but don’t care of us, even if you park at the roadside. Restrooms and food can be found in the nearby Burger King or inside the terminal. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100 – 350mm B737 = 150mm / A319 = 195mm / Austrian Bizjet = 310mm |
BER Terrace - BER Apron
| WHERE | This spot is the new main terrace at Berlin’s new big airport. It is located along the southwestern front of the BER terminal and can be reached easily from inside by just following the signs in the terminal. Once you have reached the terrace, pass the security check and search your favourite position on the deck… |
| WHAT | The major part of the BER passenger apron is just in front of you. |
| TIME | Depends on where you exactly shoot towards, from sunrise (taxiway until 09:00hrs) at Gate until 16hrs |
| MISC. | All you need is inside the terminal. Terrace’s front is glazed, but obviously no ladder allowed here. The entrance fee is 3€ and the deck is open every Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. (as of August 2021). Due bad weather or other reason it can happen that the terrace is temporarily closed. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-500mm |
Apron Overview - All planes taxiing/parked on BER Terminal 5 apron
| WHERE | This spot can be found at the north-east end of the BER Terminal 5-Apron right at the fence next to the crossing of Jürgen-Schuhmann-Allee and Waltersdorfer Chaussee. The easiest way to get here is by foot from terminal, so even if you are using a car to get here – park it at the terminal and walk here by foot. There are some “No through traffic!” at each end of the the “Jürgen-Schuhmann-Allee” which you can ignore. Police doesn’t care. |
| WHAT | A big part of the apron can be seen from here. |
| TIME | Light is okay until noon for most of the movements or if it’s cloudy all the time. |
| MISC. | Pictures through the fence are possible, but most of them will have dark corners, that’s why we recommend a 2/3-stagesladder. In summer heat haze might be a problem on high distance-shots! Everything can be found inside the terminal – like restrooms, shops and similar. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 28-300mm |
Jürgen-Schuhmann-Allee - Evening arrivals on 25R
| WHERE | This spot is located by the roadside of Jürgen-Schuhmann-Allee and can easily reached by foot (from spot #2). If you are using a car park it by the roadside of Schwarzer Weg (marked on the map) and come back here or if you’re just stopping for a few minutes parking by the roadside is okay, too. There are some “No through traffic!” at each end of the the “Jürgen-Schuhmann-Allee” which you can ignore. Police doesn’t care. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 25R. |
| TIME | In summer only after late afternoon (18:00) till sunset. |
| MISC. | Everything can be found inside the terminal – like restrooms, shops and similar. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-300mm |
Parking Garages - 07L/25R movements + nearby taxiing planes
| WHERE | This spot is located on the connection between parking garage P7 and P8. Park in one of the terminals and get to the top level. |
| WHAT | Runway 07L/25R movements plus the nearby taxiways. |
| TIME | For parked planes: For most of them light will be better in the midday hours. For planes on the taxi-/runway: from morning (8:00) till late afternoon (16:00) in summer, in winter months fom sunrise till sunset. |
| MISC. | Heat haze is an issue in summer here, especially on the runway. You have some shops nearby in the BER terminal, so you do not really need to bring snacks with, also no ladder needed. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | >200mm A320 on runway ~330mm / A320 on taxiway in front = 200mm |
Selchow Mound - Arrivals 07L
| WHERE | This spot is located on a dirtmound near the village Selchow at the east end of the airport. You can easily reach the spot by car, just park it inside the town, or bus which stops inside the village (stop marked on map). |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 07L and late rotatets on runway 25R as well. Taxiways from/to the runway can be seen from here, too, but mostly the fence covers the wheels, that’s why we recommend spot #7 for this. |
| TIME | From morning (8:00) till late afternoon (16:00) in summer, in winter months fom sunrise till sunset. |
| MISC. | There is just a bit shadow down the mound. Restrooms and food can be found in “45 Über Null”, a little restaurant just a few meters away. No ladder needed. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-300mm |
Selchow Fence - Arrivals 07L and Taxiway movings
| WHERE | This spot is near to spot #6 and just on the other side of L75 just at the fence. It can easily be reached by car (park it inside the town, like we already said at spot #6) and bus (same as spot #6 again). |
| WHAT | All movements on the taxiway between the two runways and arrivals on runway 07L, too. Planes coming from SXF and lining-up can be seen, but are not really good to spot! |
| TIME | For the runway: from morning (8:00) till late afternoon (16:00) in summer, in winter months fom sunrise till sunset. For the taxiway: from late morning/noon till sunset. |
| MISC. | Restrooms and food can be found in “45 Über Null”, a little restaurant just a few meters away. Ladder useful. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18-300mm |
Example pictures are taking from the position(s) where the people are standing
Technic Hangars - taxiway, ramp
| WHERE | This spot is located next to a parking area just by the fence. It can be reahced by bus, which stops just infront of the parking area (stop marked on the map) or car, which you can leave in the public parking area next to the spot. |
| WHAT | Planes using the taxiway between the two runways or aircraft parked infront of the two technic hangars. |
| TIME | On the taxiway you’ll have light from late morning/noon till sunset and for aircraft infront of hangars it depends on the angle they are parked, but for most of them light will be better in the afternoon! |
| MISC. | Everything you need can be found in the marked restaurant “45 Über Null”. Ladder recommend to avoid dark corners. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50 – 300mm |
Wassmannsdorf Mound - 07L evening
| WHERE | This spot is just next to the “Bundesstrasse 96a” at the east end of the little village Wassmannsdorf. It’s on a dirtmound which is between the mentioned street and a field. This spot can easily be reached by car which can be left in “Dorfstrasse” by the roadside – don’t block the street! |
| WHAT | Planes arriving/departing on runway 07L and taxiing to it for departure (like the Severstal example picture) and here it doesn’t matter if they are coming from SXF or BER – both ones good to spot. Sometimes you might be lucky with late rotating planes, too on runway 25R, but most of them are very high already. |
| TIME | In the very early summer mornings and late afternoon (18:00) till sunset. |
| MISC. | No ladder needed. There is a restaurant nearby, where you can eat and find restrooms. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm |
Fieldpath next to Fence - ramp, taxiway
| WHERE | This spot is located between the SXF and Wassmannsdorf. The easiest way to get here is to park your car at inside Wassmannsdorf (like at Spot #9) and walk here along the fence – always into SXF Terminal direction. |
| WHAT | Planes parked on the northern BER-pier, aircraft taxiing from SXF to runway 07L before departure or after landing from runway 25R to SXF (if they use the 3rd exit). You can spot arrivals on runway 07L/25R from here, too – but the runway is already quite far. |
| TIME | On the runway: Light will be good on early summer mornings/late summer evenings. On the taxiways. Depends on the angle, but for most of them evening will be much better! Northern pier: Depends on angle, too – evening/morning is much better than noon. |
| MISC. | Ladder and firm footwear recommended. Nothing nearby, nearest point for food/restrooms is the Gaststaette Dymke. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18-400mm |
L75 - Acitivities 07R/25L + nearby taxiways
| WHERE | This spot is located by the roadside of the L75 and not an exact spot more just the area along the fence. The easiest way to get here is to travel with the bus to the “Technics stop” (marked on the map) and then walk down to this spot or to travel with car and park inside the parking areas nearby this spot. |
| WHAT | Arrivals/Departures on runway 07R/25L and the neraby taxiways. If you’re lucky you might get arrivals and dpartures of heavies on runway 07L/25R, too. |
| TIME | Depends on the position (runway or not parallel taxiway), but for most of them light will be better in early summer mornings or late evenings. |
| MISC. | Ladder needed! Nearest place for restrooms/food is the restaurant “45 Über Null”. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm |
Dirthpath fencing - 25L arrivals
| WHERE | This spot is loctaed next to a fencing on a dirthpath at the south-western end of the BER area. The best way to get there is to exit the “Hugo-Ecker-Allee” just next to the substation and follow the unnamed dirt path into southern direction. After around 200 meter you’ll arrive at a green fencing just next to the path, where you can park your car and see the planes coming in. The way how to get there is quite difficult to discribe so it’s the easiest to follow the marked route on our map! |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 25L. |
| TIME | In summer only after late afternoon (18:00). |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby, no ladder needed! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | All pics taken with 150mm. 50-200 should be fine |
Field - 25L Arrivals
| WHERE | When you leave the village of Kiekebusch follow the L402 and turn into the marked road on the map and follow it until you end up at the fence. Park your car on the side of the road and take your shots for Arrivals 25L |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 25L only. |
| TIME | From morning (8:00) till late afternoon (16:00) in summer, in winter months fom sunrise till sunset. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby, no ladder needed! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-200mm – depends on the used angle |
Riverside - RWY25L
| WHERE | This spot is located by the side of a little river, called “Flutgraben”. You can drive to this spot by car from the L402 and park it just by the roadside. You can go to the fence with your ladder but it is not necessarily if you go to the grassy field. There is a mound where you’ll be able to shoot over the fence the arrivals. The aircraft on line-up/departure is unobstructed as well from the mound but parts of the fence are within the frame (see Egypt Air A320 sample photo). |
| WHAT | Runway 25L arrivals and departures/line-up. |
| TIME | From morning (8:00) till late afternoon (16:00) in summer, in winter months fom sunrise till sunset. Line-up is affected by heat haze. |
| MISC. | Nothing else nearby. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-200mm |
Highseat - 07R/25L Movements
| WHERE | You’ll find this spot on a wodden highseat. This spot can be reached from #14 and #16 easily by car, just follow the road (which runs parallely to the fence) till this position and park the car nearby the highseat. Then climb this object by Using the ladder at the frontside. On the top you’ll find place for 3-4 people, so we recommend to bring a ladder with you (just for sure), if you come to this spot because of an important and rare movement. |
| WHAT | All activities on runway 07R/25L. |
| TIME | From morning (8:00) till late afternoon (16:00) in summer, in winter months fom sunrise till sunset. |
| MISC. | No ladder needed, but nothing nearby. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-200mm |
Fieldpath - 07R/25L Movements
| WHERE | At the end of the village Schönefeld turn right from the L402 into the Verlagerung Rotenburger Straße and drive until you reach the fence. From there you can choose the angle you like for all runway activities ont the runway. |
| WHAT | All movements on runway 07R/25L |
| TIME | From morning (8:00) till late afternoon (16:00) in summer, in winter months fom sunrise till sunset. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby. Ladder with at least 4 steps is needed. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm |
Fieldpath - 07R arrivals and departures, 25L departures
| WHERE | This spot is located next to the airport fence and the easiest way to get there is by Using a car and drive north from the L402. Drive along the fence to this position and then you can park your car just by the roadside. No ladder needed as you can easily photograph the arrivals over the fence from a mound. |
| WHAT | Best for RWY 07R arrivals and departures. It’s also possible to get 25L departures, especially ones using M7 intersection for take-off, which many short-haul flights do |
| TIME | From morning (8:00) till late afternoon (16:00) in summer, in winter months fom sunrise till sunset. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-200mm |
Golf Course - 07R arrivals
| WHERE | The easiest way to get here is by using a car and drive “through” a golf course from the L402. You can park at the end of “Kienitzberg” street and then walk to this spot. On normal days you can take pictures from a point closer to the fence to reduce the distance (and in summer for example the hazard of heat haze). |
| WHAT | Landings on runway 07R and late rotates on runway 25L. |
| TIME | From morning (8:00) till late afternoon (16:00) in summer, in winter months fom sunrise till sunset. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby and no ladder needed. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm |
Visitor terrace - All activities infront of BER Terminal 5
| WHERE | +++ THIS SPOT IS CLOSED FOREVER NOW – THUS THE BER Terminal 5 TERRACE HERE IS UNAVAIABLE+++ |
| WHAT | |
| TIME | |
| MISC. |
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| FOCAL LENGTH | |
Please note that the viewing terrace tickets are only valid for one hour ! After that you have to leave and buy a new one if you want to return. Could be expensive for one day. This is a very silly regulation and not very spotter friendly. Info: check BER website.