THE ROAD TO OPENING has been difficult for Willy Brandt Berlin Brandenburg International Airport. Named after the Nobel Prize-winning former mayor of Berlin, the airport has been under construction since 2006 and has faced persistent financial, political and logistical challenges since the project was first proposed in 1991 after German reunification.
Situated adjacent to the existing Berlin Schönefeld Airport (SXF), about 11 miles south of central Berlin, Berlin Brandenburg was planned to replace the aging Berlin Tegel Airport (TXL) and expand Schönefeld by adding runways and a modern passenger terminal. The original terminal design aimed to handle 27 million passengers per year, with future expansion potential to about 50 million, which would position BER among Germany’s busiest airports.
Construction started in 2006 with an anticipated opening in October 2011. However, a long series of setbacks—governmental approval delays, design and construction deficiencies, planning errors and management shortcomings—forced repeated postponements. The timeline was repeatedly revised, and by the late 2010s estimates pushed the completion date into 2019 or even 2020, though those dates remained uncertain amid ongoing issues.
Costs escalated dramatically. The 2006 budget of €2.83 billion proved insufficient as problems accumulated. By late 2012, reported expenditures had risen to approximately €4.3 billion, nearly double the initial estimate. By 2015 it had become apparent to stakeholders that the airport’s financial model contained fundamental flaws.
Part of the economic challenge stems from competition in the European market. Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and London Heathrow (LHR), among others, retain large shares of long-haul and transfer traffic and are better positioned to protect those shares through investments and carrier partnerships. Few major airlines appeared ready to shift hub operations to Berlin; airberlin had been expected to be a key carrier for BER, but it filed for bankruptcy and ceased operations in 2017, removing a major anchor tenant from the airport’s projections.
Delays and cost overruns have created legal and contractual complications for Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH, the airport operator. Carriers and business partners expressed concerns about uncertain opening timelines, and other parties such as Deutsche Bahn, which built a rail station under the airport, raised the prospect of legal action related to non-use or delayed use of infrastructure built to support BER.
Meanwhile, Tegel Airport (TXL) continued to handle the majority of air traffic to Berlin, and many local stakeholders argued that closing TXL prematurely could cause widespread disruption. The operating license issued for the unfinished Brandenburg airport included a condition that Tegel’s license expire within six months of BER’s opening, allowing Tegel to support operations during BER’s early startup phase. Yet prolonging Tegel’s operations and negotiating the legal framework for a coordinated transition proved politically sensitive and financially costly, since running two airports concurrently increases operating expenses.
Public sentiment and political debate shaped part of the dispute. A non-binding referendum initiated by the Liberal Party in October asked Berlin residents whether the city should oppose plans to close Tegel and instead take measures to keep it operating indefinitely. That vote reflected broader concerns about connectivity, employment and convenience for residents who relied on Tegel’s central location.
Operations at Schönefeld (SXF) have been less affected by the BER construction. Low-cost and leisure carriers such as easyJet, Condor and Ryanair—among the largest operators at Schönefeld—have maintained their bases and continued regular service, even as the broader airport project unfolded nearby.
Given the multiple technical, financial and legal issues yet to be resolved, the eventual opening date of Berlin Brandenburg remains unclear. The project’s evolution highlights the complexities of large airport construction in dense urban regions, the importance of realistic budgeting and scheduling, and the need for stable airline commitments when projecting future traffic and revenue. For now, travelers to Berlin continue to use existing airports while authorities and contractors work to complete the long-delayed BER project.