Berlin’s new airport opens nine years late with little ceremony

People walk in front of a sign at the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt (Markus Schreiber/AP)

Berlin’s new airport was finally opening on Saturday, nine years late and far above its original budget, and, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, with little ceremony and few passengers.

Construction of the Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt, named after the former West German chancellor, though better known as BER, started in 2006 and it was initially scheduled to open in October 2011.