Airport operator Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg (FBB) has announced that it will stick to its commissioning date of the second half of 2017 for Berlin Brandenburg Airport in Germany.
The problematic project, renowned for its construction mishaps and delays, is currently lagging behind the general schedule outlined in October 2015. The operator has attributed the recent delays to obtaining two final permits (5th and 6th supplements) from the building authorities. Completion of the construction work is scheduled for summer 2016 but this can only be achieved once the final permit has been received.
Dr Karsten Mühlenfeld, CEO of FBB, said, “The fact that the 5th supplement has not yet been approved will not deter us from continuing to pursue our common goal of commissioning the airport in the second half of 2017. It goes without saying that we had anticipated obtaining approval sooner but the outstanding supplement does not currently prevent us from proceeding with construction as we are in close contact with the building authorities (BOA) with the result that we know what has to be built and how. Work which is not affected by the 5th supplement is being continued.”
Michael Müller, Mayor of Berlin and chairman of the FBB Supervisory Board, said, “Everyone knows that it will be difficult to meet a deadline of opening in the second half of 2017. But the decisive question is not the exact date on which we will be opening. If we manage to go online in 2017, the airport company is taking the right approach by investing a great effort in continuing to work on completion. Pressure must not ease off on construction activities during this phase. But we do expect the authorities to make a constructive contribution in accordance with the law.”