The opening of the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport is postponed

Berlin’s new Brandenburg Airport (BER) will not open on June 3.

The new airport issued the following statement:

“Technical problems with the fire protection systems force a delay in the opening of BER Airport. This difficult decision was taken by the airport operating company in light of the findings of the past few days. Until today, all those involved in planning the project were convinced that all technical equipment and systems required to ensure comprehensive and complete safety at the airport would be installed and ready in time for the opening of the new airport on June 3. Following several crisis meetings over the weekend, the project directors have come to the conclusion that the completion and subsequent official inspection and approval of the technical safety systems at the new airport cannot be completed in time for the opening date originally scheduled. The relocation of air traffic from Schönefeld and Tegel to BER has been temporarily halted. The opening will be postponed until after the summer holidays. The “Around the terminal” open days on May 12-13 will remain unaffected by the rescheduling of the airport opening and will go ahead as planned.”

The history of the new airport:

2012	The very first flights from BER will leave early in the morning on 3 June: airberlin and Lufthansa will literally be launching operations at the new airport. Before this happens, staff at the airports BER, Tegel and Schoenefeld face a logistical challenge on a gigantic scale: on the night between 2 and 3 June, all mobile devices, equipment, vehicles and systems will be moved from the old airports to the new airport. Flight operations will continue at Tegel and Schoenefeld until late in the evening on 2 June; early in the morning on 3 June, Berlin Brandenburg Airport has to be ready for business.
2012	In February the trial runs with volunteers start: 10,000 people from Berlin and Brandenburg will be testing their new airport. Until May, the airport will be put rigorously through its paces. From April 2012 on, equipment and systems will be moved from Schoenefeld and Tegel to the new airport, marking the start of the crucial stage prior to opening. The firing shot for the grand countdown will be fired a good week before the new airport opens: the official opening celebration for the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport takes place on 24 May 2012.
2012	Work on the interior of the passenger terminal will be completed and the outside areas and green spaces landscaped. The final gap in the road infrastructure will be closed when the road connecting the B96a is completed.
2012	The building work at Berlin Brandenburg Airport enters the final phase: even under construction, Berlin Brandenburg Airport is a key economic driver for the region. Of 575 tenders issued so far, almost two thirds (in terms of value) have been awarded to regional businesses. The total value of the contracts is more than €2 billion. From June 2012, 20,000 people will work at Berlin Brandenburg Airport, making it the biggest place of employment in the region.
2011	On 24 November the basic test operations at Berlin Brandenburg Airport start successfully. Employees of the airlines, the security services, the ground handling services and the airport test all operational processes and procedures: day-to-day airport operations – from check-in to security screening and boarding – are all simulated. The employees also familiarise themselves with the topography of their new place of work in training sessions comprising theory blocks and on-site inspections. The objective of the six-month trial operation is to identify all problems and potential sources of errors and eliminate them. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure a smooth operational start-up with as few hitches as possible.
2011	Only a few days after the Federal Administrative Court’s ruling is announced, airberlin states that it intends to further expand its activities and operations in Berlin. The airline’s network will be enlarged, the frequency of existing flights increased. Lufthansa also announces that it will be flying to 30 new destinations from Berlin and will be enlarging its Berlin fleet from nine to 15 aircraft.
2011	On 13 October 2011 the Federal Administrative Court issues a final, unappealable ruling on the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt: the airport can start operating on 3 June 2012 as it has been planned and built over the past years. Professor Dr. Rainer Schwarz: “The ruling of the Federal Administrative Court finally gives the airport operating company, the airlines and local residents a solid basis on which to plan for the future. This decision is a sensible compromise between securing the competitiveness of Berlin Brandenburg Airport and protecting the interests of local residents.”
2011	Fay Projects, HCI Capital and Berlin Airports celebrate the laying of the foundation stone for the first office building in the Airport City, an urbane service centre right in front of the terminal building of BER Airport. The project features a user-friendly design and far-reaching sustainability concept. The rental process is already far advanced.
2011	A further milestone is reached: the south runway is finished: 60 metres wide, 4,000 metres long – anything with wings can land and take off here.
2011	An event and exhibition centre (Berlin ExpoCenter Airport) is built at the airport. In future, the world’s third-biggest aerospace show ILA will be held here every two years.
2010	The topping out ceremony for the terminal building takes place. Up to 900 workers have been busy working on the terminal since July 2008. Now that the building shell has been completed, work can start on the interior.
2009	Topping out ceremony for the German Air Traffic Control tower. The 72-metre tower, which was designed by the Stuttgart architect Franz Ondra, is located between the two runways and has room for eleven controllers and assistants. The tower is twice the height of the old tower at Berlin-Schoenefeld Airport.
2009	The outer structure of the new airport terminal is completed and Deutsche Bahn AG starts fitting out the underground railway station. A 4,000 metre runway is built. In 2009, the airports report 22.3 million passengers in total.
2008	The A 113neu motorway is opened. The first section of the shell of the BBI station is completed and work commences on the terminal. The inner-city airport Tempelhof is closed.
2007	Start of construction for the railway tunnel and the underground railway station. Building work also starts on the north taxiway system, the new south runway and the road infrastructure.
2006	Go-ahead for BBI: the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig approves the development of Schoenefeld Airport to become Airport Berlin Brandenburg International BBI. The ground-breaking ceremony for Europe’s biggest airport building site follows on 5 September.
2006	The tender process for the first construction projects starts and the construction site is prepared.
2004	Before the construction work starts, the relocated residents of Diepensee and Selchow move into their new houses and flats in Königs Wusterhausen, Selchow and Groß Ziethen.
2003	The preparatory work commences with archaeological investigations and relocations.
2001	Consultations start with individual opponents to the project and public agency representatives (local authorities, associations, organisations, churches, etc.).
1999	An agreement is reached concerning relocation in the area around the new airport. After only two-and-a-half years of planning, Flughafen Berlin-Schönefeld GmbH (FBS) is able to submit an application for planning approval.
1996	The shareholders Berlin, Brandenburg and the Federal Republic agree to build the Berlin Brandenburg International Airport BBI. Schoenefeld is chosen as the best location due to its proximity to the capital city. As part of its transformation to Berlin Brandenburg Airport, Schoenefeld is extended by 970 ha. The total area of the new airport is 1,470 ha or roughly 2,000 football fields.
1990	Plans for a new airport for the capital city begin immediately after reunification. The initially proposed locations are Jüterbog, Schoenefeld and Sperenberg.