Case study

Berlin Brandenburg Airport

Systems integration and governance

What happened

Planned to open on 30 October 2011, the airport opened on 31 October 2020. The fire protection and smoke extraction system failed its acceptance test, and thousands of defects were found. The general planner became insolvent, and leaders changed repeatedly.

Why it matters

A unique, complex safety system was hard to prove, and quality and governance problems compounded each other.

Lessons

• Prove complex safety systems early.
• Don’t announce dates that evidence doesn’t support.
• Keep clear accountability.

Tools for this

• Quality Assurance and Quality Control
• Steering Committee
• Reference Class Forecasting

Sources

• Wikipedia: Construction of Berlin Brandenburg Airport

Last reviewed 2026-11-02. “Why it matters” is our reading of the sources.

← All case studies