The new Berlin Brandenburg Airport will open its doors later than previously planned. The future operator of the new capital airport had to make this decision in light of the facts that have emerged in recent days.
Almost until the last moment, the project implementers were convinced that all necessary safety technology requirements would be met by the airport’s planned opening on June 3, 2012. However, as a result of several crisis meetings held over the past weekend, the project management concluded that it would not be possible to complete the construction and technical acceptance of the required safety equipment by the planned opening date. Faced with potential safety deficits, the airport operating company had to make this important decision 27 days before the planned opening.
The airport operating company, taking into account the current situation, will take the following steps:
- temporary suspension of the transfer of air traffic from Schönefeld and Tegel airports to BER
- postponement of the BER opening date to a period after the summer holidays
The launch of the new airport, planned for June 3 of this year, has turned into a real race against time in recent weeks. Currently, more than 7,000 construction workers and other specialists are working at the largest airport construction site in Europe. The decision to change the airport’s opening date does not affect the Public Days at BER scheduled for May 12 and 13 of this year.