Berlin-Brandenburg Airport should get through the current crisis more easily by means of a partial debt discharge. The Supervisory Board expects around 2021 million passengers for the current year 10,7. For comparison: In 2019 around 35,6 million travelers used Schönefeld and Tegel Airports.

It is also assumed at BER that the travel restrictions will remain in place for a long time to come. The management does not expect the level of the year 2019 until 2025. Possibly even later. The financial situation of Berlin-Brandenburg Airport is tense, because not only the construction costs are pushing hard, but also the measures that have collapsed due to the pandemic.

The management around Engelbert Lütke Daldrup presented the supervisory board with a business plan that provides for a partial discharge of the company's debt. According to this, the shareholders are to provide Berlin-Brandenburg Airport with a total of almost 2022 billion euros in five annual stages from 1,9. Of this, 1,1 billion euros are earmarked for partial debt relief for the airport company and around 800 million euros as liquidity aid. The concept is also based on the assumption that the Corona aid for the years 2020 and 2021 will be completely converted into grants, analogous to the support for other heavily affected industries.

“With the concept of partial debt relief presented and already intensively discussed with the shareholders, FBB has presented the supervisory board with a plan on how FBB can overcome the corona crisis. The common goal is to achieve financial independence of FBB as swiftly as possible and thus capital market capability. The sooner we return to financial normalcy, the better the airport can help the capital region to find its way back to economic prosperity, ”explains Engelbert Lütke Daldrup.

The FBB Supervisory Board supports this restructuring strategy. He recommends that the shareholders' meeting support reaching the group breakeven point through equity injections that are compatible with the respective budgets and competition law - ie partial debt relief. Through this, the supervisory board commissioned the management to clarify the aid issues at European level. In the company, efforts are to be further intensified, to keep the operating costs as low as possible and to only make absolutely necessary investments.

Committee accepts Daldrup's resignation

The Supervisory Board granted Engelbert Lütke Daldrup's request to terminate his employment contract on September 30th. In addition, the Executive Committee and the Supervisory Board discussed the necessary steps for succession planning. The decision-making process is closely coordinated with the shareholders and driven forward with high pressure.

“In its meeting today, the supervisory board laid the foundations for gradually leading FBB out of the current crisis. Like all companies that are as badly affected by Corona as we are, we have to think in long lines. With the business plan and the partial debt relief concept, the management has presented a good orientation. With regard to the personnel and structural decisions required by Mr. Lütke Daldrup's departure, I am confident that we will soon be able to present solutions that ensure the company's ability to act and are strategically oriented towards the future, ”said Rainer Bretschneider, Chairman of the Supervisory Board.

Katja Rex, Managing Director of Hennigsdorfer Elektrostahlwerke, was welcomed as a new member of the Supervisory Board at today's meeting. The Supervisory Board also decided to hold another meeting on April 16 to discuss the succession plan and the current status of the annual financial statements. In addition, the supervisory board meeting, which was canceled at the beginning of the year due to corona, is to take place in May.