Berlin Tegel Airport is due to close in a few weeks…
First though let’s commend IATA’s call “for the development and deployment of rapid, accurate, affordable, easy-to-operate, scalable and systematic COVID-19 testing for all passengers before departure as an alternative to quarantine measures in order to re-establish global air connectivity. IATA will work through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and with health authorities to implement this solution quickly”.
The Pandemic and Government inaction continue unabated
Without this traffic and trade will groan to a halt. Governments need to do their duty, protect their people but recognise that without free trade they cannot afford to protect anyone! Alex Cruz BA’s CEO put this into context when addressing Parliament’s Transport Committee in September 2020:
- “things have changed; the airline industry is fundamentally different
- The fact remains that people are still afraid of travelling
- We are having weekly changes to the quarantine list
- We don’t have a testing solution
- Passengers are still paying Air Passenger Duty
- We cannot find any data to support optimism”
The Berlin Airlift
In 1896 an airship battalion occupied the site and in 1906 an airship hangar was erected. The airport played a key role in the Berlin Airlift in 1948 when the then main Berlin airport at Tempelhof lacked the capacity required. The first aircraft landed on 5 November 1948 on what was then the longest runway in Europe at 2428m.
Berlin Airports Evolve
Regular commercial operations started in January 1960 with Air France operating the first flight. It is also expected that Air France will fly the last flight as Tegel closes. The Airport has an unusual main terminal – dating from 1974 – which is hexagonal around an open square which makes walking distances relatively short. It also has security checks at each gate which can lead to long waits in pre-boarding areas with insufficient space and seating.
In 1996 it was agreed to build a new airport on the site of Schoenefeld Airport, and the airports Tegel and Tempelhof to be closed. Tempelhof was closed in 2008. Initially, Tegel was due to close in June 2012 as the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) was scheduled to open. Schonefeld will also disappear and become BER T5, since BER is occupying the existing site.
Tegel will become the home for a variety of industrial, research, and technology Parks. Today, thanks to the impending closure and the COVID epidemic, Tegel is a shadow of its former self. The staff I spoke to were sorry about the closure but grateful that jobs await at Brandenburg. They also commented that the COVID crisis and ensuing lack of passengers will make the proposed incremental opening of the new airport much easier.
Catastrophic Project Management
The new Berlin airport has suffered from catastrophic planning and project execution. In November 2018 Emily Schulteis outlined some of the key issues on the BBC WORKLIFE website:
“The first major sign something was wrong came in summer 2010, when the corporation running construction pushed back the opening from October 2011 to June 2012. But less than a month beforehand, inspectors found significant problems with the fire safety system and pushed the opening back again to 2013.
It wasn’t just the smoke system: a series of other major problems subsequently emerged. More than 90 meters of cable was incorrectly installed; 4,000 doors were wrongly numbered; escalators were too short. There was such a shortage of check-in desks the planners proposed some airlines check their passengers in at tents in front of the terminal – a move that airlines naturally opposed”. It also emerged that the individual who designed the fire safety system was not a qualified engineer.
It has been suggested that the final total of faults/problems was in the region of 550,000!
What’s in a Name?
Another potential embarrassment concerned the name of the airport. In 2009 it was decided to acknowledge a prominent citizen in the airport name which led to Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg “Willy Brandt”. Brandt was a former West Berlin mayor and West German chancellor. It is claimed that The Willy Brandt Foundation was so concerned at the scandals surrounding the airport project that they might withdraw his name.
Carry on Regardless?
An OECD Report in 2016 identified: “weaknesses in project preparation in the airport infrastructure project: planning documents were not ready and had to be modified during the tendering process, leading to significant cost overruns.
The poor planning process led to the operating agency directly awarding several additional contracts without a bidding process. This meant that the airport company systematically violated EU public procurement directives. The additional work covered by those contracts, the auditors noted, was foreseeable to management and should thus have been awarded via a bidding process.
The comptrollers from the European Court of Auditors found several eyebrow-raising items, such as a plan to create elevated parking spaces for Berlin Mayor and his VIP guests, so they could have easier access to gates, with a cost of EUR 567,000”.
Things were bad enough for a board game to be created based on the project’s multiple problems. The main object of the game is to waste as much public money as possible and the player who burns the most funds wins.
Those with an interest in project management should take a look at the many analyses of how this programme left the rails.
The new Berlin Brandenburg Airport
The problems but not the costs are now hopefully in the past, so take a look at what the new airport has in store at www.berlin-airport.de
Berlin Tourism
Berlin is a great City to visit! Like many major Cities these days, the builders are out and about renovating many of the major sightseeing areas, with Museum Island and the surrounding area dominated by cranes. I stayed at the Berlin Hilton which has impeccable COVID precautions, a great location, and very friendly, helpful staff – info.berlin@hilton.com. As I write the City is still open for business with many Museums reopening. The weather during my 36-hour visit was perfect for walks along the River Spree and surroundings.
Photos will appear in the Rest of the World Gallery.
Stuart McAdam
TheMcAdamee ~ Bye Bye Tegel ~