Berlin Airport CEO Rainer Schwarz “dismissed” as opening delayed indefinitely

Berlin Brandenburg Airport’s CEO Rainer Schwarz has been dismissed from his role “with immediate effect”.  He has been CEO since 2006. The opening of the airport is now delayed indefinitely, with no date given. This has caused great embarrassment for Berlin’s authorities.  Originally due to open in June 2012, this date was first delayed until March 17, 2013, when problems with the airport’s fire safety systems were discovered. In October 2012 it was announced that the opening would be October 27, 2013. But now fire problems are still on-going and October is no longer realistic, and even setting a new date is at least several months away. At its meeting on January 16, the board and appointed as its new chairman, Matthias Platzeck, Prime Minister of the State of Brandenburg. He will succeed Klaus Wowereit, mayor of Berlin, who held this position since 2001.  The board said that in future a triumvirate would head the company.

Berlin Airport CEO Rainer Schwarz “dismissed”

17 Jan 2013  ( Global Airport Cities.com)
by Dominic Welling

Berlin Brandenburg Airport’s CEO Rainer Schwarz has been dismissed from his role “with immediate effect”, the gateway’s supervisory board has announced.

Schwarz, has been CEO and commercial director of the gateway since 2006.

The news comes in the wake of the third delay to the opening of the long-awaited Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport (BER), which has been the source of some embarrassment for Germany’s capital city.

Originally due to open in June 2012, this date was first delayed until March 17, 2013, when problems with the airport’s fire safety systems were discovered.

In October last year, however, it was announced that the proposed opening date was to be rescheduled once more to October 27, 2013.

But just last week it was announced that the fire problems were still on-going and that this date was no longer realistic.

In it’s latest announcement, the gateway said that there was “no point” in setting a new opening date at the moment as a review of the problems could “take some months”.

At its meeting on January 16, the board dismissed Rainer Schwarz from his position as the gateway’s CEO and also appointed its new chairman, Matthias Platzeck, Prime Minister of the State of Brandenburg.

He will succeed Klaus Wowereit, mayor of Berlin, who held this position since 2001.

The board said that in future a triumvirate would head the company.

Platzeck announced that interviews would be held soon with candidates for the positions of CEO and chief financial officer to complete the executive board.

He said: “The Supervisory Board meeting today demonstrated the common will of the three shareholders, the German government, Berlin and Brandenburg, to haul the company back out of the deep water it is currently in: We are all pulling together.

“Over the coming months, we aim to put complete our appraisal of the situation at Berlin Brandenburg Airport, the most important project for the future of eastern Germany, so that we can then establish a realistic and reliable schedule for the successful completion of all outstanding work on the airport through to its opening.

“To this end, the Supervisory Board will be called upon to make some tough decisions and to exercise tighter control of the company. At today’s Supervisory Board meeting, we have now taken the first steps to realign the company and BER.”

Platzeck added that there was no point in setting a date for the opening of the airport at the moment.

He said: “Chief Operating Officer Horst Amann first needs to perform an in-depth analysis of the problems before he can name a date. This is going to take some months.”

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