Delayed BER airport needs another 300 million euros to avoid bankruptcy

It has emerged that Berlin’s long-delayed BER airport is asking for a further 300 million euros to save it from going bankrupt, in yet another embarrassment for the most debacle-plagued airport in Germany.

BER Airport needs another 300 million euros

The new BER Berlin-Brandenburg airport will be bankrupt before even opening its doors on October 31, unless it immediately receives a 300-million-euro cash injection from the states of Brandenburg and Berlin, and the federal government. 

That’s the gist of a letter sent this week by Federal Finance State Secretary Bettina Hagedorn to the budget committee of the Bundestag, pleading the case for extra funding for the airport. The 300 million would be made up of a direct grant of 99 million euros, to be transferred immediately, and a further 201 million euros to be paid as a loan sometime in the near future. This, Hagedorn writes, would help secure the airport’s liquidity for 2020. 

Airport could need more money if coronavirus crisis continues

But that’s not the full extent of the cash flow problems. According to a report by the Tagesspiegel, internal documents reveal that in a “worst case scenario” the airport could need as much as 700 million euros, for instance if passenger numbers continue to stay as low as they have been during the coronavirus crisis. 

The major cash shortage represents yet another setback for the much-delayed airport, which was originally due to open nearly nine years ago in October 2011. It is still planning to stick to its latest projected opening date of October 31, 2020 - but presumably only if the extra funding is given the green light. The Bundestag will announce their decision on Wednesday.