The much-delayed airport has opened with hardly any flights and passengers

At last Berlin has a new airport, but it couldn’t have come at a worse time. 

Only 8 years and 4 months since the previously announced opening date of June 2012, the new Berlin-Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport (BER) airport has finally been completed.  With the travel industry in crisis due to the global Covid pandemic and airlines facing the prospect of bankruptcy, Saturday’s unveiling of the “new” airport is rather ironic. 

When I first heard that the long-awaited airport would be finally opening its doors to the public on 31 October 2020 my reaction was: "I’ll believe it when I see it". The second was: "Halloween, the spookiest day of the year. What a bizarre choice of date". At that time, we still had no idea that the world would be turned upside down by a global pandemic caused by a coronavirus.

As Germany braces itself for a second, albeit “lighter” lockdown, BER airport opened on Saturday with only about six scheduled arrivals and amid climate protests. On the one hand, it’s hard to believe that they actually managed to finish it. I have to admit that I had my doubts as to whether it would ever be completed. On the other hand, you can’t help but think that the timing of it is a joke. 

The opening gala had to be cancelled because of the growing number of Covid cases in Berlin and in Germany.  Though it wouldn’t have been a big party anyway. Apparently, the managers and engineers of the airport felt too embarrassed to celebrate the over 8-year long fiasco.

Meanwhile, the list of countries and regions at high Covid risk (in German Risikogebiete, as compiled by the Robert Koch Institute) is getting longer and longer, meaning that if you go on holiday almost anywhere in the world you now have to go into quarantine on return. Moreover, from Monday 2 November the whole of Germany is going into partial lockdown and travelling is strongly discouraged.

For the past years Berlin has been a laughing stock because of its airport. I’m afraid it will take a long time for it to turn its image around.

In case you're wondering what will happen to the other airports, Tegel airport (pictured) is scheduled to close next week. This time it's for real. The last ever flight from Tegel is due to depart at 15:00 on 8 November for Paris. As a result, the Berlin district of Pankow will notice a significant reduction in noise pollution. The other remaining airport, Schönefeld, will continue to operate as part of the new BER airport and will be known as Terminal 5. Tempelhof airport was closed in 2008.