A grey Volkswagen Golf abandoned for a year in Berlin’s Brandenburg Airport’s short-term parking area has made international headlines after accumulating an eye-watering €201,480 ($209,124) in parking fees.
The airport’s parking fees are notoriously high, with the first ten minutes of parking being free, but each additional 30 minutes costing about $11. The charges escalate quickly, with fees reaching $552 per day for parking in the short-term lot.
It’s unclear why anyone would leave a car in such an expensive spot, but it seems the owner of the Volkswagen may have opted to abandon it rather than pay those astronomical fees.
The vehicle remained in the parking lot from January of last year, with airport authorities failing to address the situation for an entire year. Multiple entities, including the parking management company APCOA Deutschland GmbH, local police, and the district office, have denied responsibility for the car’s extended stay. Their inaction highlights the negligence surrounding long-term parking management.
On January 28, the car was finally towed away, having racked up an impressive debt in parking fees. Unfortunately for the airport, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to collect the money, as the car’s owner has not yet been identified. Initial investigations suggest the vehicle may have been stolen and then abandoned, as the license plates on the car do not match the vehicle.
While abandoned cars are often left in long-term parking areas with lower fees, this particular case drew attention because the car was in the short-term lot, where charges quickly skyrocketed. The incident raises questions about how airports manage long-term abandoned vehicles and whether stricter regulations are needed to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.
