A new airline is serving Saarbrücken Airport from 1 January 2020: DAT is covering the route to Berlin, flying to the federal capital up to three times a day. These flights use a 72-seater ATR 72-600 aircraft that is stationed in Saarbrücken. The aircraft was officially welcomed from Berlin on Tuesday morning with a celebratory ceremony. The airport management, chairman of the SCN board and State Secretary for Economic Affairs Jürgen Barke, and DAT’s owners Jesper and Robert Rungholm were all in attendance.
‘The Berlin connection is and will remain extremely important for Saarbrücken Airport’, says chairman of the SCN board and State Secretary Jürgen Barke. ‘A stable link with the capital means that we ensure that the airport remains a key piece of state infrastructure. We are proud to be able to offer Saarlanders and people from the Greater Region an airport serving attractive flight destinations with short routes and convenient service.’
Danish airline DAT is a family-run company based in Vamdrup, Denmark. The airline carries more than a million passengers a year. Saarbrücken-Berlin is DAT’s first flight route within Germany. The airline has been operating for 30 years and started carrying passengers in 2002, primarily in northern Europe. The company has a reputation in its sector for being very reliable, and boasts high levels of punctuality and customer satisfaction.
Its fleet consists of 22 aircraft made up of Airbus A320s, MD 82/83s and members of the ATR (Avions de Transport Régional) family. DAT is running its own project to promote the reforestation of mangrove forests, and is therefore carbon-neutral. The ATR 72-600 stationed in Saarbrücken thus generates significantly fewer emissions than other comparable aircraft.
‘Taking this route on was a very rapid decision and a very big challenge’, explains Jesper Rungholm, captain and CEO of DAT. ‘However, extraordinary support from all those involved at SCN Airport enabled us to meet the challenge successfully. We are very pleased with the launch and look forward to welcoming many new passengers to the route in 2020. Along with our cooperation partner SCN Airport, we are convinced that this route will be a very successful, reliable connection with the capital.’ Airport CEO Thomas Schuck has also praised the collaboration: ‘We are delighted to be able to continuously offer this vital Berlin connection at attractive prices with a high-profile partner’, he explains. ‘This was made possible in no small part due to the commitment and flexibility of our airport staff. Implementing this service has taken exemplary teamwork.’
A DAT service office has also been set up in the Saarbrücken Airport terminal, from which the office staff are providing support to companies, travel agents, individuals and group tours.
Tickets can now be booked from €59 each way. There are three flights a day on Mondays to Fridays, one on Saturdays and two on Sundays.
The planned departure times from Saarbrücken are 6:25 a.m., 1:40 p.m. and 6:10 p.m. Monday to Friday. The Saturday flight departs at 6:25 a.m., and those on Sunday at 1:40 p.m. and 6:10 p.m. Flights land at SCN at 10:30 a.m., 5:40 p.m. and 10:10 p.m. Monday to Friday. The Saturday flight arrives at 10:30 a.m., and those on Sunday at 5:40 p.m. and 10:10 p.m. The SCN-TXL flight takes 90 minutes.
