Germany's New Finance Minister Wants Berlin Government Terminal Scrapped

Simple Flying

By Tom Boon

Published Jan 3, 2022

SCHOENEFELD, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 14: Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall arrive by plane at recently-opened BER Berlin Brandenburg Airport on November 14, 2020 in Schoenefeld, Germany. The British royal couple are scheduled to attend events tomorrow on Germany's National Day of Mourning that commemorates victims of war and fascism, during which Prince Charles is to give a speech at the Bundestag. (Photo by Steffi Loos/Getty Images)

When Olaf Scholz took over from Angela Merkel as the chancellor of Germany, he also formed a new cabinet. The country's new Finance Minister, Christian Lindner, is responsible for the country's spending over the coming years and has called for colleagues to scrutinize previous expenditures. This includes the planned government terminal at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER).

It's been over a year since Berlin Brandenburg Airport opened, and the airport still isn't really finished. One portion of work that still needs to be completed is the new government terminal, designed to welcome foreign dignitaries like the US president on Air Force One. Germany's Finance Minister is now calling for that project to be scrapped.

A €50 million project

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner has said that a new government terminal at Berlin Brandenburg Airport is unnecessary. Speaking to the German daily newspaper "Bild", Lindner said,

"I do not consider a new representative building for state guests and ministers to be necessary. I hope that the Federal Foreign Office will change its previous opinion on this. The previous transitional building can be used permanently. A waiver would be the signal that we are careful with taxpayers' money."

Berlin Brandenburg Airport, Christian Lindner, Finance Minister, Government Terminal — The current government facility is located below the tail of the police helicopter in this photo. Photo: Getty Images

The government is currently using a temporary terminal to the north of the airport. Apron 1 is used by the military for such flights. Located on the site of the older Schönefeld Airport, this facility has already welcomed high-profile foreign guests such as Prince Charles of the United Kingdom, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, and Queen Margrethe of Denmark.

It was intended that this facility would be used until a replacement could be built. According to Bild, this was to be built by the Federal Government of Germany, with a cost of roughly €50 million. The airport declined to comment on the situation.

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Just over a year old

The government terminal at Berlin Brandenburg Airport is just over a year old. The terminal was opened slightly before the main terminal between the airport's two runways. The German military practiced state welcomes with one of the country's aging executive Airbus A340 jets in the run-up to its opening. As well as being used by incoming heads of state, the facility is also used for high profile individuals in the German government, such as the country's President, Chancellor, and even government ministers such as Lindner himself.

The facility was required as the older Berlin Tegel closed a week after Brandenburg opened. Tegel had been used for governmental flights in the past, including welcoming Queen Elizabeth and US President Barack Obama, though has since been decommissioned.

Do you think that Germany should build a new government terminal at Berlin Brandenburg Airport? Let us know what you think and why in the comments!