GERMANY. With no date finalised for the opening of Berlin Brandenburg Airport, the city’s Schönefeld Airport will be further expanded. As part of that programme, a new arrivals terminal (Terminal D) opened today.
To meet the demands of growing passenger numbers at Schönefeld, €48.8 million is being invested this year and next. Terminal B has already been extended, while renovation of terminals A and D should start after receipt of planning permission in the second quarter of 2017.
The Supervisory Board of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH met today to discuss the completion of construction and opening of the new, long-delayed airport, the business plan for 2017, the construction of a new government airport and the expansion of Berlin-Schönefeld.
Berlin Brandenburg GmbH CEO Dr. Karsten Mühlenfeld said: “We will only state a date for the opening of Berlin Brandenburg Airport after a reliable basis has been achieved. This requires, amongst others, approval for the sixth and last amendment to planning permission. In addition the construction and function testing, as well as proof of concept, must be completed successfully for Main Pier North. Furthermore, we will also have to decide in advance, just how the terminal can be used during necessary trial operations.”
Acting Mayor of Berlin and Chairman of the Supervisory Board Michael Müller said: “Looking back on this year, it is obvious that we have made significant progress towards the completion of BER. Approval of the fifth amendment lays to rest questions about smoke extraction, which have gone unanswered for some time. Now we have to resolve the other remaining challenges such as completion of construction and the start-up of technical systems, as well as the trial operation, as quickly as possible, but above all reliably and safely.”
The end of November saw the completion of 80% of the milestones in planning and construction of the airport terminal, noted the airport company. It is now more than four years since the opening was deferred due to technical problems with fire protection.
Looking to 2017, the Berlin airport company said it expects a further increase in passenger numbers as well as a positive operational result based on increased sales, “particularly within the non-aviation sector”.
Gebr Heinemann is the lead travel retailer at Berlin’s airports.
