'We were a laughing stock': Berlin airport finally finished as Covid bites

Berlin-Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport, 4bn over budget and nine years late, now has virus to contend with

Almost three decades after the plans were first mooted, over nine years behind schedule and more than 4bn (3.6bn) over budget, Berlin's new international airport is finally ready to open its doors.

But the already tortuous birth of Berlin-Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport (BER) expected to open on 31 October, and once hailed as a celebration of the ambitious German reunification project, has only been compounded by the decision to unveil it in the middle of a pandemic.