Pictures: Berlin's ill-fated new Berlin-Brandenburg-Airport finally ready for take-off

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Cars stand in front of the Terminal 1 of the new Berlin-Brandenburg-Airport 'Willy Brandt' near Berlin, in Schoenefeld. Nine years late and eye-wateringly over budget, the Berlin region's new international airport will finally open on Saturday - in the middle of a global pandemic that has crippled air travel. Image Credit: AP

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People walk through the Terminal 1 of the new Berlin-Brandenburg-Airport. "We are ready for take-off!" insists the management team at the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), set to replace the German capital's ageing Tegel and Schoenefeld airports. But the mood is one of relief rather than celebration. Image Credit: AP

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Ever since construction began on BER in 2006, the project has been dogged by one failure after another, becoming a financial black hole and a national laughing stock - not exactly an example of German efficiency. Image Credit: AP

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A sign is seen at the departure hall of Terminal 1 during a media tour at the Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER). The airport, located in the south-east of the capital, was originally due to open in 2011. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Now it is opening its doors in the middle of the worst crisis the aviation industry has ever seen, as COVID-19 restrictions continue to suffocate air travel. Image Credit: NYT

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And as if that were not enough, there's also the climate crisis: pressure group Extinction Rebellion is planning acts of "civil disobedience" on the opening day to protest against the impact of aviation on global warming. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Against that backdrop, "We will simply open, we will not have a party," according to Engelbert Luetke Daldrup (pictured), president of the airport's management company. Image Credit: AP

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Lufthansa and EasyJet will be the first two airlines to touch down on the tarmac of what will be Germany's third-largest airport, after Frankfurt and Munich. Image Credit: REUTERS

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A few days before the opening, around 200 staff were busy disinfecting the 360,000-square-metre Terminal 1. Image Credit: AP

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Some 100 alcoholic hand gel dispensers have been installed and robot vacuum cleaners hum over the floors. Image Credit: Bloomberg

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The "Magic Carpet", a huge, bright red artwork by American artist Pae White suspended from the ceiling, brings a touch of colour to the check-in hall. Image Credit: Bloomberg

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The airport has been designed to welcome 27 million passengers a year, but in November it will see only 20 percent of usual air traffic thanks to the pandemic. Terminal 2 won't open until spring 2021. Image Credit: Bloomberg

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About 15 shops and restaurants out of just over 100 will remain shut, while the rest will be forced to keep "limited opening hours" because of low traffic through the airport, a spokesman told AFP. Image Credit: Bloomberg

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None of this good news for BER, initially projected to cost 1.7 billion euros ($2 billion) but already past the 6.5-billion-euro mark ($7.6 billion). Image Credit: AFP

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The airport has been granted 300 million euros ($353 billion) in state aid to help safeguard the jobs of the 20,000 people who will eventually work there until the end of 2020. Image Credit: Bloomberg

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A worker sanitizes an elevator control panel in Terminal One of Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER). Image Credit: Bloomberg

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Late morning light illuminates passenger aircraft, operated by easyJet Plc, on the tarmac at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER). Image Credit: Bloomberg

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The train station beneah the Berlin Brandenburg Airport. Image Credit: NYT

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Pictures: Berlin's ill-fated new Berlin-Brandenburg-Airport finally ready for take-off

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Pictures: Berlin's ill-fated new Berlin-Brandenburg-Airport finally ready for take-off

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