Overview
- The federal real estate agency Bima confirmed Thursday that the Flugbereitschaft’s full relocation to Berlin Brandenburg cannot realistically occur before 2036 and that the target facilities may not be finished until 2036–2038.
- Because the fleet stayed based at Köln-Wahn, the government logged roughly 791 repositioning flights in 2024 and 798 in 2025 that move jets empty between Cologne and Berlin before and after VIP missions.
- Internal planning now estimates the move could cost about €2.5 billion after the fleet grew from around 10 to 18 aircraft and the required site expanded from roughly 304,000 to 580,000 square metres.
- Bima says the project must revise the original planfeststellungsverfahren and build 18 specialised, high-security structures while BER remains operational, which officials argue prevents a speeded-up timetable.
- Critics including the Greens and the taxpayers’ association call for faster action because of the environmental and budgetary burden, while military staff say some current empty flights also serve pilot and crew training that would need replacing after a move.