There have been many times the term “once bitten, forever shy” comes to mind in life. Then there’s been long term debacle of Berlin Brandenburg Airport…. and the amount of opening dates its had.
Open 31st October 2020… – Image, Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg
Berling Brandenburg Airport was meant to open in October 2011. And it all went rapidly downhill from that point onwards, with broken promise after broken promise, with the highlight of the planned opening in June 2012
As airlines ramped up operations and changed timetables – with 26 days to go before opening, technical difficulties with the fire system caused the opening to pulled.
A succession of promised opening dates have been and gone.
However, the airport will open to passenger on 31st October 2020 according to the airport’s director, Engelbert Lütke Daldrup when talking to DW.
The plan is for a rapid opening, with Tegal to shut SEVEN DAYS AFTER according to information released by the planning team.
Der Umzug zum #BER wird in drei Schritten erfolgen: BER-Eröffnung am 31.10.2020, Inbetriebnahme Südbahn am 4.11.2020, Schließung #Tegel am 8.11.2020. #Flughafen #Berlin #Tegelschließen pic.twitter.com/XGUhmKuw0h
— Berlin Airport Corporate News (@fbb_corporate) November 29, 2019
For those who don’t like GIFs, here is the breakdown
1) BER opens on the 31st October 2020
2) The Transition of services commence from the 4th November 2020
3) Tegel Closes 8th November, BER fully operational.
Rail services are getting on stream too – as the rail works were completed in 2011. Ghost Trains have been running since the line has opened. When the airport opens, two rail options will exist – a fast express service taking 35 minutes and a slower S-Bahn service that will take 51 minutes.
In quotes
Working from a Google Translation the following statements were made
Rainer Bretschneider, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH said:
“With today’s announcement of the opening date, a new stage on the way to the commissioning of BER begins. The appointment also shows that the airport company is on the right track. Against this background, the Supervisory Board welcomed the naming of the specific relocation appointments as a success for the entire workforce of the airport company. “
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, Chairman of the Board of Management of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH:
“The deadline is: BER opens on October 31, 2020. All work that is still to come at BER is being handled at full speed. There is still a lot to do in the next eleven months. The finished building must become a functioning airport. “
… I’m not convinced
We’ve been through so many broken promises that any date that is promised I personally take with the biggest salt mine I can find.
A pinch of salt is far too little.
There is still a lot of work to make this happen… and 11 months is NOT a lot of time to achieve this in. Compounded with this are the works for the second terminal (as airlines moving in will swamp the existing terminal).
Although – this is the most positive the team has sounded for some years about opening Berlin Brandenburg Airport for some years.
I fear, that closing Tegal just seven days after BER opens is a mistake of gigantic proportions…
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