The construction of the new Berlin airport is delayed

Berlin - Construction work at Berlin's Willy Brandt Airport is approximately three months behind schedule compared to the timeline set earlier this spring; however, it is still possible to commission the new air hub by the end of 2017. Representatives of the airport's supervisory board told the Berliner Morgenpost about this after discussing the completion deadline today.

The completion of the airport by the end of 2017 also depends on whether the European Commission approves an increase in public funding for the construction. Willy Brandt Airport is funded exclusively from public sources, and the currently approved 5.4 billion euros (146 billion CZK) will not be sufficient. Therefore, the airport's supervisory board is requesting permission in Brussels to release an additional 1.5 billion euros (40.5 billion CZK) for the construction.

The construction of the airport has long been plagued by problems. It was originally supposed to open in 2011, but the deadline has been postponed four times. One of the main reasons was inadequate fire safety measures. The Bild newspaper reported today that the circumstances surrounding the replacement of the fire safety installation are being investigated by the police due to suspicions of corruption.

The prolongation of the construction is also leading to increased costs for the airport's establishment. The original budget estimated expenditures of 2.5 billion euros (68 billion CZK).

Willy Brandt Airport is expected to become the third largest air hub in Germany, after Frankfurt and Munich. It is set to replace Berlin's Tegel and Schönefeld airports, which no longer technically meet current needs. It should handle approximately 27 million passengers annually. However, aviation experts warn that the airport's capacity will be insufficient even at the time of its launch, as Tegel and Schönefeld currently together handle 27 million passengers per year.