A 10-year battle to give the capital of unified Germany an airport worthy of this position ended with a victory for Berlin yesterday when the country's highest administrative court nodded through the €2bn ($2.4bn, £1.4bn) project.

The go-ahead for eastern Germany's largest infrastructure project since reunification triggered a collective sigh of relief among Berlin's politicians and business people. Expected to create 40,000 jobs, Berlin-Brandenburg International (BBI) will provide a welcome stimulus for the region's depressed economy.