The Trials and Tribulations of Berlin Brandenburg Airport
Early Days
After the Berlin Wall toppled in 1989 and Germany reunified a year later, Berlin was once again the nation’s capital. There were three airports in the metro area - Tegel Airport, Schönefeld Airport and Tempelhof Airport, but they were aging and far overcapacity. City leadership felt that there should be one singular airport to serve Berliners, to consolidate all the traffic.
On 2 May 1991, the Berlin Brandenburg Flughafen Holding GmbH (BBF) was founded, owned in part by the States of Berlin and Brandenburg, as well as the Federal Republic of Germany. The BBF was to supervise the planning and construction of this new airport, as well as oversee its operations once it was up and running. A location was selected in the Schönefeld municipality, where there was already a small airfield. In August of 2004, the Brandenburg state ministry for infrastructure and regional policy granted approval for the making of Schönefeld Airport into the Berlin Brandenburg International Airport. A large legal battle ensued, with residents saying that the airport would significantly disrupt their lives. The Federal Administrative Court of Germany sided with the airport developers.
In 2006, the official construction budget was set at €2.83 billion, and ground was broken. The understanding was that, once the airport was operational, Tegel and Schönefeld would close when it opened.
First Signs of Trouble
The construction completion date was pushed back from 2011 to 2012, citing general delays (not uncommon with major infrastructure projects). It was very close to opening in 2012, and the city was planning a celebration for the new airport, which Chancellor Angela Merkel was set to attend. Less than a month before the big day, inspectors found massive issues across the airport. Inspectors discovered over 120,000 defects, including fire safety issues, automatic doors that didn’t open and sagging roofs.
As these repairs were being made, other issues emerged. More than 90 meters of cable were incorrectly installed; 4,000 doors were wrongly designated, and the escalators custom built for the airport were too small. There was such a shortage of check-in desks the planners proposed some airlines check their passengers in at tents in front of the terminal, according to the BBC.
Jörg Stroedter, the center-left Social Democrats’ spokesman for the airport committee in Berlin’s parliament told the BBC that the delayed opening of the airport in 2012 “should have led to the decision to totally gut the building and dismantle all the complicated facilities.”
The longer the delays persisted, the more problems were found. By 2015, total costs amounted to €5.4 billion. Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, head of the committee running the construction, told the BBC that every month the airport sat unopened, it cost €9m and €10m for worker’s salaries, security, and the electric bills. As the airport was left unopened, age related issues already started to crop up. In 2018, all 750 of the monitors showing flight information had to be replaced at a cost of €500,000 because they had burned out after years, according to the BBC.
The Airport Opens (Sorta)
In 2020, 4 billion euros over budget and ten years late, Berlin Brandenburg Airport opened its doors on October 31st. Obviously, this was *not* the best timing for opening, in the midst of a global pandemic and virtually no international travel. The first commercial flight out was a 6:45 AM service with EasyJet to London-Luton.
Conclusion
Despite its rocky start, Berlin Brandenburg Airport is now fully operational and serves as the primary gateway to Germany’s capital. To the credit of the builders, the airport is absolutely beautiful. There’s a modern and spacious interior with a sleek, minimalist design. The main terminal features high ceilings, large windows, and a clean, open layout with plenty of natural light.
However, questions linger about whether BER can ever shake off its past reputation. Some critics argue that it opened already outdated, with capacity concerns looming as passenger numbers recover post-pandemic.
