Berlin’s new airport

Brandenburg International, Berlin's long-delayed new airport, still without an opening date, will cost more than expected, a member of its supervisory board has said.  Noise insulation and the large terminal building were driving costs beyond the expected €4.3bn, Bretschneider told German broadcaster ZDF, and additional levies were payable for every month the airport remains closed.

"I still believe the airport will be able to cover its costs, but not as swiftly as thought", he said.

Already 20 years in the planning when construction began in 2006, the airport was then set to open in 2011.  That was pushed back to June 2012, then to March 2013, then to October 2013 and now to some point after 2014. 

Within the same site Schönefeld Airport still functions as a Berlin Gateway mainly for low-cost operators including Condor, easyJet, Norwegian and Ryanair, with the advantage over Tegel, the current main international airport, of having good rail links to the city centre.  The closure of Tempelhof, the city centre airport, now looks more and more premature.  www.berlin-airport.de/en

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