Berlin airport CEO resigns

The CEO of Berlin's planned BER airport, Hartmut Mehdorn, will step down by June 30, 2015, the airport company announced on Monday.

He had to take on board "speculation about [his] position in the sphere of the supervisory board," Mehdorn said.

He added that he regretted his resignation as it fulfills neither his sense of duty nor his aims. "For me, however, the step is necessary in light of the overall situation."

In the past weeks, there have been several media reports detailing troubled relations between Mehdorn and airport partners and disputes over extending Mehdorn's contract, which was due to end in March 2016.

Mehdorn's resignation comes after just two years of leading the delayed airport project. On Friday, officials said that the Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brandt airport will start operating in 2017 - some six years after its original opening date.

Since 2011, three other opening dates have also been cancelled due to technical problems.

ksb/mg (Reuters, dpa)