New Airport, Beleaguered Symbol of 'Irreverent' Berlin, Is Opening at Long Last
New York Times
BERLIN — Styled like a boarding card, Gregor Gysi’s invitation to the opening party of the “most modern airport in Europe” arrived in the mail. There would be 10,000 guests and a red carpet landing by Chancellor Angela Merkel on the runway. Mr. Gysi couldn’t wait.
Eight years later, Mr. Gysi, a lawmaker and native Berliner, is still waiting.
Berlin-Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport, conceived 30 years ago in the giddy aftermath of German reunification as a symbol of freedom and modernity, has instead become the butt of jokes. When the opening on Mr. Gysi’s invitation was abruptly scrapped, it was neither the first postponement nor the last for a project delayed by a seemingly endless succession of problems.
With the latest opening date now scheduled for Oct. 31, invitations have again gone out. This time there is no party (“It felt wrong,” the airport’s public relations manager said), just an opening — fingers crossed.