It seems plans to open Berlin Brandenburg Airport have gone into the air, with the start date of 3rd June 2012 cancelled and a new start date will be set for some point “after the summer holidays”
For Lufthansa and Air Berlin, this is a major setback, with both carriers promoting the new BER airport heavily. Both carrier have planned a major resource attack at the new Berlin Airport in a bid for passengers.
The reason? Sufficient fire prevention safeguards are not yet in place – and considering the safety culture of aviation, that is a very bad thing.
Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport, is delayed already, with the opening pushed back from 2011 to 2012.
Both Air Berlin and Lufthansa failed to see this messup coming, and had planned for a 3rd June opening (with Lufthansa sending an A380 for the day – which is now cancelled)
It seems “new airport, major mess-up” is the term when a new airport or terminal is opened – you only have to look over the channel at London Heathrow T5’s mess-up, or to Thailand and the trouble that the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi had when that airport opened.
Serious questions will be asked why this wasn’t addressed, but this puts a lot of flights in jeopardy that were due to operate to the new BER.
Neither Lufthansa or Air Berlin have published any changes to the timetables yet.
You can go back even farther, to the oft-delayed opening of the new Denver airport, too, if you want to see similar issues. Unfortunate, indeed.
Ahh. I missed that one in my research list. Still a right royal pain for those who had a flight booked (not me for once!!!)
I was supposed to fly to Paris on June 4th from there.
It’s looking like both AB and LH are trying to get space at TXL to operate. How successful they’ll be is besides the point…
Someone’s got some ‘splainin’ to do…
I wouldn’t like to be in their shoes when they explain what went wrong….
I have an airberlin flight from BER-LAX on July 9. I booked a hotel at the holiday inn schonefield. Will my flight be going out of this airport or TXL?
I don’t know as yet – I’d “hope” so. If I hear anything from the AirBerlin or Lufty websites, I’ll post it as soon as it arrives.
It goes without saying all timetables have been thrown into disarray…