Photo Gallery Waiting for BER
Airport operators on Tuesday announced that Berlin will have to wait just a bit longer for its brand new international airport. The opening has been pushed back from June 3 until late August at the earliest.
Known as Berlin-Brandenburg, or just BER, officials found problems with the airports fire safety equipment. Brandenburg Governor Matthias Platzeck said he was "livid."
The delay is reportedly primarily due to problems with smoke removal equipment. Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit said it would be irresponsible to open the airport if there were still questions about its safety systems.
Airport operator Rainer Schwarz (2nd from left) said that a decision as to when the airport would open will be taken after the "summer break." Platzeck (far right) said however that he expects a new date by Monday.
The Berlin-Brandenburg Airport, which if formally named after former German Chancellor Willy Brandt, will replace the German capital's two smaller airports, Tegel and Schönefeld. A third airport, Templehof, closed in 2008. This map shows the plans for the new international airport.
Ultimately, it is hoped that Berlin-Brandenburg will play in the same league as Germany's giant air hubs in Frankfurt and Munich.
The delay in the airport's opening so soon before the first planes were to take off and land there presents significant logistical hurdles and extra costs to airlines.
For months, tests using hundreds of volunteers had been carried out at the new airport to ensure that everything works properly once it is opened.
