Berlin ( CNN ) -- The opening of Berlin 's new international airport has been postponed again , officials said , in the latest of a series of setbacks that have led some in Germany to slam the project as a national embarrassment . Willy Brandt International Airport , south of the German capital , was originally due to go into service in June 2012 but has been plagued with problems . Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit stood down as head of the supervisory board overseeing the project on Monday , as he acknowledged the airport would still not be ready for its latest scheduled opening on October 27 . Wowereit declined to name a date for the beginning of flight operations . BER , the company managing the construction , said in a statement : `` Reasons for the renewed delays are problems with the fire extinguishing system , especially with regards to the fresh air vents in case of fire , but also the complexity of the entire construction situation . '' The airport 's original opening in June 2012 was canceled only days beforehand , when problems with the sprinkler systems came to light . Speaking at a news conference in Berlin Monday , Wowereit said he would hand over his duties as head of the project 's supervisory board to Matthias Platzeck , the governor of the state of Brandenburg . The mayor has been heavily criticized for the delays , which various politicians and media outlets have called a `` national disgrace . '' The city of Berlin and the state of Brandenburg are the main parties involved in the construction of the airport , with the German federal government also footing part of the bill . Regina Pop , head of the opposition Green Party in Berlin 's City Parliament , said : `` So far the mayor has only admitted things that became public anyway . That is not what transparency and crisis management need to look like . `` It remains unclear how the construction and restoration of the airport can be finished in a solid way . '' Germany 's largest daily newspaper , BILD , has called the situation surrounding Berlin 's new signature airport a `` disgrace for Germany , '' and quoted several international reports on the problems with the construction process . Citing internal sources , the newspaper reports that the airport will not commence operations before 2014 . Officials have declined to confirm whether that is the case .
The opening of Willy Brandt International Airport in Berlin is delayed again . Berlin 's mayor steps down as head of the project 's supervisory board . The airport was originally due to open in June 2007 , then later this year . The construction company has problems with the fire extinguishing system .