Local feel for Berlin's new international airport

(Berlin Airports)

Berlin Airports has released further information on the shopping experience that travelers can look forward to when the city's new airport opens in 2012.

Over a quarter of the new retailers and outlets at the airport are to present typical products from the Berlin and Brandenburg region, which airport authorities said would "set Berlin Brandenburg International apart from all other international airports."

New shops for Ampelmann, Look 54 and Evelin Brandt will present fashion rooted in Berlin culture, while Berlin-based watchmaker Askania will also have an outlet.

Fassbender & Rausch, a popular tourist stop on Berlin's busy Gendarmenmarkt, is set to be present in the terminal alongside confectionary maker Felicitas and children's boutique "Die kleine Gesellschaft."

For those looking for savory food, local products such as regional sausage specialities, local beers, and speciality foods such as Spreewald pickled gherkins and fine fruit brandies, meat products from Golßen and Cottbus Baumkuchen will also be represented.

"The choice of retail concepts for BBI is very promising," said Berlin Airports boss Professor Dr. Rainer Schwarz.

"Passengers will be able to find everything at the new BBI, from typical Berlin shops and local specialities right through to the world's leading brands. This combination is a perfect match for our airport, and we are certain that our guests from all around the world and people from the region will love it."

The airport is set to open in roughly 18 months and is expected to considerably ease air travel to the German capital, which is currently requires landing in one of two dated facilities (Berlin Schoenefeld or Berlin Tegel).

Built on the site of Schoenefeld, it will eventually be able to handle up to 50 million passengers annually and will mean that the two current airports can be closed.

http://www.berlin-airport.de