The CEO of visitBerlin has labelled the nine-month delay in opening the city’s new airport ‘surprising and annoying’ amid fears the delay could stall new routes to the city, adversely affecting Berlin’s reputation as a congress destination.
The German capital’s new airport, Berlin Brandenburg (BER), was scheduled to open 3 June but will now open on 17 March, 2013, with the Supervisory Board of Flughafen Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH announcing the new airport must pass safety tests before the launch date.
Burkhard Kieker, CEO of visitBerlin, said: “The 10-month postponement of the opening date is surprising and annoying. It is now top priority to ensure that the airport is well prepared for the launch. We look forward to the opening of BER as it will greatly improve the accessibility of our city.”
A statement by Kieker said the delayed opening will not have a foreseeable impact on existing tourism and congress business: “However, visitBerlin fears that it could have an adverse effect on future long-haul destinations. The postponement of the opening of BER could also lead to delays in airlines committing to new intercontinental routes, which are of great importance to Berlin as a congress location.”
With the existing airports, Schönefeld and Tegel, still in operation, all flights to Berlin are expected to be carried out as scheduled. Extended summer flight schedules for the three largest airlines, airberlin, Deutsche Lufthansa and EasyJet, are being maintained.
