Berlin voters want Tegel Airport to remain open when (and if) the new Berlin-Brandenberg Airport opens, but there’s still uncertainty ahead.
A referendum calling for keeping the airport open passed with a 56% vote Sunday, but it’s not binding on city officials, who are bound by the original deal enabling the construction of the new airport at the price of closing the three then-existing fields. One, Tempelhof, closed several years ago.
In the meantime, the new airport, which is over six years behind schedule and has no official opening date beyond “next year” is already inadequate to serve as Berlin’s only airport. It’s designed for 26 million passengers a year; Tegel and Schoenefld already handle 33 million between them.
An ambitions long-range plan for expanding the unfinished airport has been discussed, but would take many years to build. In addition, many Berliners are not happy with the idea of having only one airport, well south of the city while Tegel is north of the city and close in.
Federal officials, including the transport minister, have shown sympathy for the idea that the capital should have two airports, but local officials are concerned that changing the original deal could leave them open to both compensation claims by Tegel’s neighbors and the cost of needed upgrades and renovations at Tegel.
