Air Berlin

Air Berlin
Founded	1978; (as Air Berlin USA)
Commenced operations	28 April 1979; (as Air Berlin USA); 1991; (as Air Berlin GmbH & Co. Luftverkehrs KG);
Ceased operations	27 October 2017
Hubs	Berlin–Tegel; Düsseldorf;
Focus cities	Palma de Mallorca
Frequent-flyer program	topbonus
Alliance	Oneworld (2012–2017)
Subsidiaries	Belair (2001–2017); DBA (2006–2008); Niki (2003–2017);
Parent company	Air Berlin plc & Co. Luftverkehrs KG
Headquarters	Airport Bureau Center, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Berlin, Germany
Key people	Thomas Winkelmann (CEO)

Air Berlin plc & Co. Luftverkehrs KG (FWB: AB1), branded as airberlin or airberlin.com was a major German airline. At its peak, it was Germany's second-largest airline after Lufthansa, as well as Europe's tenth-largest airline in terms of passengers carried.^[1] It was headquartered in Berlin^[2] and had hubs at Berlin Tegel Airport and Düsseldorf Airport. At the time of its insolvency, it was a member of the Oneworld airline alliance, having joined in 2012.

The airline was originally founded by American interests in 1978 to provide airline service to West Berlin, a territory that could not legally be served by West German airlines such as Lufthansa due to political restrictions on East German airspace. In 1991, shortly after German reunification, Air Berlin became a German-owned company and shifted its core business to compete more directly with Lufthansa, eventually becoming one of Germany's biggest airlines. After years of losses, however, Air Berlin filed for insolvency in August 2017^[3] and ceased operations two months later.^[4]

^ Air Berlin Strategy and Business Model. Air Berlin, retrieved on 19 January 2011. Archived 13 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Approach map Archived 18 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine." Air Berlin. Retrieved on 5 May 2010.
^ "Air Berlin meldet Insolvenz an – Bundesregierung gibt Kredit – WELT". DIE WELT (in German). 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Air Berlin's last flight melts hearts from Munich to Berlin | DW | 27.10.2017". DW.COM. Retrieved 27 April 2021.

[1] Air Berlin Strategy and Business Model. Air Berlin, retrieved on 19 January 2011. Archived 13 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine

[2] "Approach map Archived 18 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine." Air Berlin. Retrieved on 5 May 2010.

[3] "Air Berlin meldet Insolvenz an – Bundesregierung gibt Kredit – WELT". DIE WELT (in German). 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.

[4] Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Air Berlin's last flight melts hearts from Munich to Berlin | DW | 27.10.2017". DW.COM. Retrieved 27 April 2021.

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