Berlin (dpa) - Despite massive disruptions in the airline industry due to the coronavirus, German airports remain open for important flights, the head of the German Airports Association (ADV) has said.

It's about maintaining critical infrastructure, ADV's Ralph Beisel told dpa on Monday. Priorities include ongoing return flights for German tourists abroad and the maintenance of logistics chains.

German airports with larger cargo facilities, such as Frankfurt, Cologne and Munich, have seen an increase in demand for cargo flights, but they have not been able to completely make up for the fall-off in passenger plane traffic, according to Beisel.

Berlin is considering closing its Tegel airport - set to shut down permanently later this year anyway ahead of the opening of the Berlin Brandenburg International Airport - due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A decision about the possible closure of Tegel has been delayed to the second half of April, and it's expected to remain in operation for the time being despite the fall in passenger numbers.

Representatives of the federal government and the states of Berlin and Brandenburg, as shareholders in the new Berlin airport, discussed the situation on Monday. The topic of the shareholders' meeting also likely included possible financial aid for the airport company.

Beisel pointed out that the airports have thus far not been able to receive liquidity assistance from the state-owned KfW development bank because in most cases they are publicly owned. Lending requirements have remained almost unchanged despite the coronavirus, Beisel said, adding the Finance Ministry should make improvements.

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