Berlin Brandenburg Airport, in Berlin, Germany.

What is the difference between BER and EDDB?

BER is the IATA code, used commercially — tickets, timetables, luggage tags. EDDB is the ICAO code, used operationally by pilots and air traffic control, and assigned geographically by region.

Is BER the same as TXL?

No. TXL is tegel, closed in November 2020. Old bookings and luggage tags still show it.

What airport is BER?

BER is

Berlin Brandenburg Airport

Berlin, Germany

Why the code is BER

The first three letters of Berlin.

The airport authority or a contemporaneous record states this directly.

The airport

IATA code: BER
ICAO code: EDDB
Airport: Berlin Brandenburg Airport
City: Berlin, Germany
Opened: 2020
Code origin: Documented

It opened nine years late and roughly three times over budget, having failed its fire-safety inspection in 2012 because the smoke extraction system did not work and the cabling could not be certified. Berlin's two older airports, Tegel and Schönefeld, closed and were absorbed into it; TXL is now retired as an IATA code.

Codes it used to have

Code	Until	What happened
SXF	2020	Schönefeld, which physically became BER's Terminal 5 before closing.

Codes people book by mistake

Code	What it actually is
TXL	Tegel, closed in November 2020. Old bookings and luggage tags still show it.

The other code, EDDB

Every airport has two codes. The three-letter IATA code, BER, is the one on your boarding pass and your luggage tag, and it is assigned for commercial use. The four-letter ICAO code, EDDB, is the one pilots and controllers use, and it is assigned geographically: the first letter or two identify the region, so every airport in the same part of the world shares a prefix. That is why EDDB looks nothing like BER.

Common questions

What airport is BER?: Berlin Brandenburg Airport, in Berlin, Germany.
Why is Berlin's airport called BER?: The first three letters of Berlin.
What is the difference between BER and EDDB?: BER is the IATA code, used commercially — tickets, timetables, luggage tags. EDDB is the ICAO code, used operationally by pilots and air traffic control, and assigned geographically by region.
Is BER the same as TXL?: No. TXL is tegel, closed in November 2020. Old bookings and luggage tags still show it.

Germany Capital, area, population and currency
The flag of Germany Colours, symbols and lookalikes
Airport codes in Germany 3 here
What airport is FRA? Frankfurt Airport, Frankfurt
What airport is MUC? Munich Airport, Munich

Sources

OurAirports — OurAirports (Public domain)

How these figures are compiled and checked