Berlin airports brace for deluge of Champions League fans

Frankfurt

BERLIN'S airports are bracing for an influx of about 25,000 soccer fans for Saturday's Uefa Champions League soccer final between Barcelona and Juventus, putting extra strain on a city plagued by the lack of a world-class airfield.

Schoenefeld, the old East German airfield that's used mainly by low-cost airliners, will see an extra 370 commercial flights between Thursday and Sunday, increasing traffic by more than 50 per cent. Warren Buffett's NetJets Inc will ferry affluent soccer enthusiasts on more than 40 flights to and from Berlin for the game, 10 times the usual number, …