Air Berlin, a Germany-based airline company, has expressed its disappointment at delays in the opening of the Berlin Brandenburg airport (BER), in Germany.
The new airport was slated to open on June 3, 2012, but the opening has been delayed due to problems with its fire safety systems. The new airport will be replacing Berlin’s Tegel and Schonefeld airports.
A new opening date for the airport is yet to be announced, and sources say that it might even be after the German summer holidays.
Air Berlin chief executive officer, Hartmut Mehdorn, said, ‘The situation is extremely tricky, as we have to contact at least one million passengers individually to inform them about their airport of departure or arrival. In addition, Air Berlin’s expanded and more ambitious flight schedule, planned for BER, now has to be handled using the old infrastructure at Tegel Airport, in the summer season, of all times. We must apologise to our passengers for this temporary arrangement, we ourselves are finding it difficult to live with.
We are still looking forward to the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport, where we will be able to provide our passengers with a much improved service. But to do this, we need a new and reliable date for the opening of the airport, preferably after the end of our summer schedule.’
The airline has set up a special Task Force to adapt the expanded flight schedule that was originally implemented for operation from the new airport, to the systems and conditions that are on offer at Berlin-Tegel airport.
