New Berlin airport delayed again
The opening of Berlin's new main airport has been postponed
indefinitely after several previous delays, the city's mayor said
Monday, in a fresh blow for the German capital and its top official.
Klaus Wowereit said the "opening date of October 27 this year can no
longer be maintained" due to a series of technical issues.
He said he was resigning from his position as head of the airport's
supervisory board as a result, amid ever-louder calls for him to step
down as the city's mayor.
The supervisory board will be headed by Matthias Platzeck, the head
of the state of Brandenburg where the airport is situated, said
Wowereit.
The Berlin-Brandenburg Airport was originally slated to open its
doors in June 2012 but has suffered multiple delays due to a raft of
technical difficulties and construction errors.
Wowereit said he was unwilling to offer another date for the opening
"given the experience we have had", adding: "I have the impression all
the people working on the airport are doing everything they can to
overcome the problems." However, he said he would not resign as mayor.
Sebastian Rudolph, a spokesman for the federal transport ministry,
said the government had received a letter from airport authorities over
the weekend, informing them of the fresh delay.
Without going into details, the letter listed "certain problem areas,
with the fire protection system being the biggest problem," Rudolph told
a regular government news conference.
"The situation is serious," said Rudolph.
The latest delay has taken place because the fire system has been
built in a different way from what was specified on its building permit,
said mass circulation daily Bild.
AFP
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