Berlin’s new airport has been delayed until October next year – 16 months after its original scheduled opening of June 2012.
As widely forecast in the German press, the opening of Berlin’s new Brandenburg airport (BER) has been further postponed.
Brandenburg airport was supposed to have opened in June. But a last-minute hitch with the fire safety systems forced authorities to delay the opening until March of next year. But now they have admitted that this date cannot be met.
Brandenburg state premier Matthias Platzeck confirmed a new opening date of late October 2013 – a date which would coincide with the airlines’ winter schedules.
The latest delay is another blow for airlines, passengers and the various businesses and concessions which have set up shop in and around the new and deserted terminal.
Airlines had expanded their schedules thinking that Brandenburg would open in time for this summer.
But now they must continue to squeeze their extra flights into a busy Tegel (Berlin’s main airport which was due to shut down in June) for another year – including the whole of the summer 2013 season - while passengers must put up that airport’s overcrowded and inadequate facilities.
Shops and catering outlets stand empty in BER’s terminal and the brand new Deutsche Bahn (DB) station and tracks remain unused.