Berlin Brandenburg Airport Opening Delayed Until August 2012

It was possibly one of the most anticipated events in European Airport News, but it looks like we’re going to have to wait a little longer for the unveiling of the new Brandenburg Airport in Berlin. With construction on the new facility on-going since 2006, the culmination of the hard efforts will be felt by both budget travellers as well as regular travellers as the airport promises a far better and modern facility than the current Tegel setup. Although based on the same site, the new terminals offer far more possibilities including more A380 flights, and greater capacity. Even from the air, it looks good:

The reasoning behind the delay is far more mundane, and unlike many other countries is not down to running out of money or an over-ambitious delivery plan, but for passenger safety; the authorities have chosen not to allow the current fire protection standard in the building to be passed, with a fully automated system needing to be put into place. This is likely to put back the opening at least by two months.

What happens for flights until then? You’ll still be booked into Tegel Airport, or for the case of low-cost airlines flying into Berlin-Schonefeld, this will continue until the new airport is open, upon which the older ones will be closed.

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