Long Overdue, Berlin’s New Airport Is Still Worth Celebrating
The story of Germany’s airports reflects the country’s overall trajectory. And that’s mostly good.
Still only a test.
Photographer: Tobias Schwarz/AFP via Getty Images
Too bad I didn’t keep our plane tickets from 2012 as souvenirs. They showed us departing from Los Angeles (LAX) and arriving at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), which was just about to open. But the launch, already delayed the previous year, was again called off at the last minute. So we landed instead at the charming but small Tegel airport (TXL) that dates back to the early Cold War.
Over the years, other opening dates came and passed for BER, owing to construction flaws, from failing fire-safety vents to elevators too short for their shafts. Now, though, in a triumph of hope over experience, Berliners are daring to get excited once again about what’s been called their “phantom airport.” Tegel, largely cobwebbed since the Covid-19 outbreak, will start shutting down in June, and BER is actually ready to open in October. It’s ironic, of course, that Berlin is finally bringing its new airport online just as a pandemic is keeping most people from checking in.