244 million euros for BER: Brandenburg decides on a financial injection!

244 million euros for BER: Brandenburg decides on a financial injection!

On June 20, 2025, the Brandenburg state parliament passed a double budget for the years 2025 and 2026. What is particularly exciting for the region is the associated financial injection for BER Airport, which is worth 244.2 million euros. However, these funds are not intended for the current financial year, but are planned for 2026. A complete financial plan for BER provides a total of 660 million euros to address the economic challenges. Additional funding from Berlin and the federal government is currently being negotiated to ensure their share for 2026.

Finance Minister Robert Crumbach described the new budget as a “balanced” plan that includes both investments to stabilize the economy and necessary structural savings. There are changes especially in the education sector: from February 1, 2026, the teaching obligation for teachers at many types of schools will increase by one lesson hour. However, the financial resources available for this increase by 180.2 million euros to a total of 1.963 billion euros. This means that teachers should be relieved elsewhere.

Economic framework conditions for BER

The situation for BER remains challenging. Although the airport has recorded continuous growth since the end of the corona pandemic, passenger numbers are not yet at the level that was observed at Schönefeld and Tegel airports before the pandemic. In May of this year there was a decline in passenger numbers for the first time. However, according to the Federal Association of the German Aviation Industry (BDL), 8.5 million seats are forecast at BER for the period from June to November, which corresponds to a small growth of two percent compared to the previous year.

In order to achieve the airport company's (FBB) desired financial independence by 2026, intensive work is being done on refinancing the company through financial institutions. Airport boss Aletta von Massenbach emphasizes that the debt relief plan is being consistently implemented. The advantage is that the airport was released from strict EU financial requirements in 2021, which were previously anchored in a renovation concept. This sets the stage for an independent future for BER, and the FBB is optimistic.

Political and public reactions

The majority of the coalition factions, consisting of the SPD and BSW, voted for the double budget, while the opposition factions - AfD, CDU and some BSW MPs - voted against it. The draft budget was approved by the state government on March 28, 2025 and has since been discussed in detail by the specialist committees and the Budget and Finance Committee. A total of 285 amendments were considered, which underlines the commitment and interest of MEPs.

The discussions in Parliament showed that the budget is not only seen as a financial instrument, but also reflects the political landscape and public interests. The end of the provisional budget management now gives the ministries and authorities the opportunity to concretely implement the planned measures.

With the adoption of the double budget, the Brandenburg state parliament has taken an important step towards an independent financial future and is thus courageously supporting both the challenges and the opportunities that lie ahead for the region.

For more information you can access the detailed texts on the websites: maz-online.de, mdfe.brandenburg.de, and landtag.brandenburg.de.