Berlin’s brand new, multi-billion-euro Brandenburg airport is finally handling flights, but seemingly endless setbacks threatened the entire plan. Chris Croot examines the complex story of a project that ran nearly a decade late and €5bn over budget
Think engineering and efficiency, think Germany, right? Well, perhaps not always. The Brandenburg story began in 1989 following the fall of the Berlin Wall, with plans to build one major airport serving the city. The unified German government realised a new large commercial airport would be needed to cement Berlin’s position on the world stage and the three existing facilities, Tempelhof, Tegel and Schönefeld, would soon be outdated.
In 1991 Berlin and Brandenburg states and the Federal Republic of Germany formed Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH (BBF) to oversee design and construction. A 1993 study assessed suitable locations, with noise and air pollution, existing infrastructure and proximity to the city being key factors. Although some sites were preferable in terms of noise pollution and levels of social disruption, two and a half years later an area around Schönefeld was chosen. Its location near the city as well as existing airport infrastructure –…
