BBC says EURO 2024 busted legend of German efficiency but it was already busted with the new Berlin Airport (!)

In How Euro 2024 busted legend of German efficiency

As football fans poured in and out of cities across the country for Euro 2024, they discovered the trains weren’t as good as they thought

But before that Berlin’s new Brandenburg Airport (BER) faced decades of delays due to a series of significant issues:

1. Planning and construction problems: The project was plagued by poor planning, faulty construction work, and technical issues from the start[1][2]. Some key problems included:

• A faulty fire protection system design discovered in 2011[2]
• Issues with structural elements like escalator sizes, ceiling designs, and ticket counters[2]
• Improperly installed cables (around 170,000 km of dangerously wired cables)[3]
• Problems with automatic doors, sagging roofs, and lighting systems[3]

1. Repeated missed deadlines: The airport was originally scheduled to open in 2011, but the opening was pushed back multiple times[1][2][3]:

• October 2011 (initial planned opening)
• June 2012
• 2014
• 2016
• 2017
• Finally opened in October 2020

1. Management issues: The project suffered from poor oversight and management changes[1][3]. There were allegations of corruption, with one senior airport official accepting a €150,000 bribe from a contractor[1].

2. Cost overruns: The final cost ballooned to over 7.3 billion euros, nearly triple the original 2.83 billion euro budget[1][2].

3. Political involvement: Critics pointed to over-involvement of politicians in the planning process as a contributing factor to the delays[1].

4. Bankruptcy of contractors: Some of the project’s main contractors went bankrupt during construction, causing further delays[3].

The airport finally opened on October 31, 2020, almost a decade behind schedule[4][5]. Despite the long delays, the new facility features modern amenities like a spacious glass-facade terminal, advanced security systems, and improved infrastructure[2][4]. However, its opening coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which significantly reduced air travel demand[2][4].

Citations:
1. American German Institute – The Saga of Berlin’s Long-Delayed Airport Opening
2. CNN – Brandenburg: New Berlin Airport Opens
3. DW – Berlin’s New Airport Finally Opens: A Story of Failure and Embarrassment
4. Business Insider – Berlin Brandenburg Airport Finally Opens After 9 Years of Delays
5. Euronews – Berlin Airport Opens 10 Years Late and Three Times Over Budget