Proximity to the city, drop off at departure gates and on the plane within half an hour of arriving. It sounds like a dream.
This is what Berlin’s Tegel Airport offered when its iconic hexagonal terminal opened in 1974.
It was a triumph of function and passenger efficiency.
Tegel cut through the Cold War gloom to represent the jet set age of the future but on November 8, it closes for good.
Tegel’s long goodbye has prompted an outpouring of nostalgia among Berliners. The relic has become part of the city’s identity, representing freedom in a time of blockades, the Berlin Wall and superpower rivalry.
This was Germany's first drive-in airport. It was all utterly cinematic
It has a history stretching back about 100 years. Tegel originally hosted Prussian airships and during the 1930s, a team under Wernher von Braun used the site for early rocket experiments.
A modern runway opened in 1948 to help with the Berlin airlift and Tegel as we know it was born.
But Terminal A set Tegel apart. Travellers today expect long walks to departure gates through a relentless and infuriating array of shops.
Tegel’s concrete hexagon allowed passengers to pull up in a car, be dropped off at their departure gate and step onto their flight within minutes. It was a bold vision.
Terminal A was designed to get people through the airport as quickly as possible. Modern airports are doing the opposite.
Buildings that once championed flight now champion commerce.
"Tegel … [created] ballet-like interactions between cars and planes," wrote Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries in the Hidden Europe magazine.
"The highway from the heart of Berlin sweeps northwest over grand bridges, gliding into a tunnel - with planes taxiing above - to emerge in the interior of an open hexagon where passengers could be dropped off right at their departure gate.
"This was Germany's first drive-in airport … It was all utterly cinematic."
Tegel did have defects. Public transport links were poor, it struggled to cope with rising passenger numbers and modern extras such as charge points were hard to find. Arriving there – particularly in later years - really did feel like landing in the 1970s.
"I headed for the designated 'charging point' to restore my phone," wrote Financial Times business journalist Michael Skapinker, on a return visit to the airport in 2019.
“There were two wall plugs, probably originally installed for the cleaners’ Hoovers.”
Tegel was also creaking under the rising passenger numbers. Designed to handle about 2.5 million passengers a year, around 24 million people used the airport last year.
The addition of terminals that felt like large warehouses did not help. It survived over the past few years only because of delays to Berlin Brandenburg, which finally opens on Saturday.
Yet Tegel outlived Tempelhof, one of Europe’s famed pre-World War II airports and base for the Berlin airlift. It closed in 2008. Schonefeld, the airport of the former East Berlin, closed on Monday.
The grim Soviet-era edifice, which has now become a mere terminal at Berlin Brandenburg, evokes few of the warm memories that Tegel does.
Berliners even tried to keep Tegel open. In a non-binding vote in 2017, 56 per cent of residents voted in favour of retaining it.
The result was ignored and the site is to be redeveloped as a residential and business park. Nostalgia was not enough to save Tegel. Airports and passengers have moved on. Tegel was the future...once.
______________________
Inside Berlin's new Brandenburg airport
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
Sugary teas and iced coffees
The tax authority is yet to release a list of the taxed products, but it appears likely that sugary iced teas and cold coffees will be hit.
For instance, the non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Cold coffee brands are likely to be hit too. Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: From Dh280,000
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
SHOW COURTS ORDER OF PLAY
Wimbledon order of play on Saturday, July 8
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Centre Court (4pm)
Agnieszka Radwanska (9) v Timea Bacsinszky (19)
Ernests Gulbis v Novak Djokovic (2)
Mischa Zverev (27) v Roger Federer (3)
Court 1 (4pm)
Milos Raonic (6) v Albert Ramos-Vinolas (25)
Anett Kontaveit v Caroline Wozniacki (5)
Dominic Thiem (8) v Jared Donaldson
Court 2 (2.30pm)
Sorana Cirstea v Garbine Muguruza (14)
To finish: Sam Querrey (24) leads Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (12) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6, 1-6, 6-5
Angelique Kerber (1) v Shelby Rogers
Sebastian Ofner v Alexander Zverev (10)
Court 3 (2.30pm)
Grigor Dimitrov (13) v Dudi Sela
Alison Riske v Coco Vandeweghe (24)
David Ferrer v Tomas Berdych (11)
Court 12 (2.30pm)
Polona Hercog v Svetlana Kuznetsova (7)
Gael Monfils (15) v Adrian Mannarino
Court 18 (2.30pm)
Magdalena Rybarikova v Lesia Tsurenko
Petra Martic v Zarina Diyas
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 258hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.1L/100km
Price: from Dh362,500
On sale: now
'The Ice Road'
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Stars: Liam Neeson, Amber Midthunder, Laurence Fishburne
2/5
