01:16Germany: Bikes, not planes whizz around Berlin's ghostly new airport
Germany: Bikes, not planes whizz around Berlin's ghostly new airport
The controversial Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport is presently not being used by planes but by bikes. Berlin's ultra-modern airport, whose opening was planned for 2011 and delayed several times, hosted a bike tour on Saturday, as it has done every weekend since last June.
Bike tours are organized every Saturday and Sunday, and over a two-hour period cyclists can enjoy biking across the runway, the security areas and many other locations which normally remain unseen by passengers. Two guides lead a maximum of 25 participants and explain to them the characteristics of the complex and, at the same time, attempt to debunk the bad press generated around the airport.
The airport was designed to replace two existing facilities in Berlin - Tegel and Schoenefeld. The opening date has been postponed several times due to construction problems, partially related to the faulty installation of a fire protection system. The original budget has been far exceeded, with almost twice the initial €2.8 billion ($3.7 billion) now being budgeted for the project.
The airport will be one of the most modern in the world, being sized at 1,470 hectares and boasting a capacity of around 27 million passengers a year. A new opening date hasn't been set, although late 2014 or early 2015 have been slated as possibilities.
01:16Germany: Bikes, not planes whizz around Berlin's ghostly new airport
The controversial Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport is presently not being used by planes but by bikes. Berlin's ultra-modern airport, whose opening was planned for 2011 and delayed several times, hosted a bike tour on Saturday, as it has done every weekend since last June.
Bike tours are organized every Saturday and Sunday, and over a two-hour period cyclists can enjoy biking across the runway, the security areas and many other locations which normally remain unseen by passengers. Two guides lead a maximum of 25 participants and explain to them the characteristics of the complex and, at the same time, attempt to debunk the bad press generated around the airport.
The airport was designed to replace two existing facilities in Berlin - Tegel and Schoenefeld. The opening date has been postponed several times due to construction problems, partially related to the faulty installation of a fire protection system. The original budget has been far exceeded, with almost twice the initial €2.8 billion ($3.7 billion) now being budgeted for the project.
The airport will be one of the most modern in the world, being sized at 1,470 hectares and boasting a capacity of around 27 million passengers a year. A new opening date hasn't been set, although late 2014 or early 2015 have been slated as possibilities.