A new setback for Berlin Brandenburg (BER) airport: German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel could look into secret TÜV-documents* revealing significant deficiencies with the “safety-related building equipment”. It is now almost sure that the new airport will not open before 2021.
* TÜV: short for “Technische Überwachungs-Verein”, an organisation that tests the safety of technical installations, machinery and motor vehicles.
The airport -supposed to be ready in 2012- is already 2,000 days behind schedule. TÜV has tested the fire protection system in the passenger terminal and discovered significant deficiencies. During an inspection mid-November 2017 the TÜV discovered that a series of systems were totally unacceptable: the smoke control system, the sprinkler system, the fire alarm system, the emergency warning system and the emergency lighting system. The total cost of the airport has now risen to €6.6 billion.
Timeline:
2012: date of opening delayed until 2013.
2013: Germania will be the first airline to operate from BER, then delayed until spring 2014.
2014: a new setback: now 2015, at the end of 2014 the opening of the airport got delayed until 2017.
2015: BER should open in the second half of 2017.
2017: BER airport expected to be open and functional in 2019. Now delayed until 2021 ?
Nach dem #TÜV-Bericht: Was beim #BER geschehen müsste und welche Alternativen es gibt. https://t.co/dKAfkiaRyH #Berlin #2000Tage pic.twitter.com/blft7y0M7A
— Der Tagesspiegel (@tagesspiegel) November 23, 2017
Flughafengesellschaft bestätigt die @tagesspiegel-Enthüllungen #2000Tage nach der Nichteröffnung des #BER – und verweist auf einen "ambitionierten" Terminplanhttps://t.co/csqplALQLA
— Robert Ide (@ichgruessesie) November 23, 2017
Der Flughafenexperte der Berliner SPD macht sich "ernsthafte Sorgen, ob das Gesamtsystem des #BER jemals funktioniert". #2000Tage https://t.co/WQPyxHrVIO
— Der Tagesspiegel (@tagesspiegel) November 23, 2017
Laut @tagesspiegel: Tüv-Bericht offenbart weitere Mängel am Haupstadtflughafen #BER https://t.co/lj2AwsbLj8
— WESER-KURIER (@weserkurier) November 23, 2017