Berlin: Ber airport gets tax money even after 2020

The future capital airport BER will probably still receive tax money after opening planned for 2020. This week Bundestag has cleared way for anor loan to operating company. From 2020 to 2022, federal government is refore allowed to transfer 132.1 million euros for project. If co-owners of Berlin and Brandenburg, in accordance with ir shares in company, airport would get a total of 508 million euros more tax money than loans.

However, two countries have not yet decided on this. Brandenburg's Finance Minister Christian Görke (left) recalled that airport chief Engelbert Lütke Daldrup needs to cover financial needs primarily through UNVERBÜRGTE loans. "My expectation is unchanged that management will successfully implement goal of self-financing." The Berlin Ministry of Finance is currently talking to banks and institutes about possible loans, as head of department Matthias Kollatz-ancestor (SPD) shared. But negotiations are difficult; Banks and insurance companies tried to strike out very high interest rates.

ber-» We will clean up this Kladderadatsch «Airport chief Engelbert Lütke Daldrup praises progress on BER site. In video he takes position on planned opening. © Photo: Bart Biesemans

The Federal Ministry of Environment did not comment on planned loan. A final confirmed financing concept is not yet available. The company also did not comment on this; The supervisory board wants to close finance issue in two weeks.

The proposal for parliamentarians states: "The Federal Court of Auditors expressly supports budget declaration." However, Jörg Cezanne, traffic and finance politician of left, criticized not having received report of Court of Auditors. Secrecy is a matter of serious financial problems for airport company.

Spending has tripled to 6.5 billion euros

In meantime, expenditure of about 6.5 billion euros is planned for new airport; Originally, two billion euros had been assumed. Planning errors, construction defects and bursting opening dates, but also extensions of project as well as sound protection drove costs up. The federal government and Länder have so far shot about 2.7 billion euros. They also vouch for total amount of 3.5 billion euros in loans.

The business plan from 2020 to 2025, however, lacks up to 770 million euros because airport is to be expanded during this period. Lütke Daldrup had announced in winter that it would be about 400 million euros for banks. Now it looks like federal government is jumping in with more money.

Date Of Update: 30 June 2018, 12:02