The opening of Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) has been delayed again, this time to March 17, 2013, to allow more time to complete fire safety systems, the supervisory board announced.

BER was originally scheduled to open in June, a date that was then postponed to August because of technical issues concerning fire protection installations (ATW Daily News, May 9).

The supervisory board also announced that Manfred Koertgen, managing director for operations and construction, will leave the company. The airport will also terminate its contract with Planungsgemeinschaft Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg International (PG BBI), the consortium responsible for project management and site supervision.

BER planners had decided to complete a partially automated version of the fire protection and control system by June 3 as a transitional solution, and to introduce a fully automated system over the following months. However, they now say that pending work on the fire safety and control system, and operational ramp-up of its central component system, will take until December.

The new timeline should allow for inspections, approvals and certifications.

SOURCE ATW