Germany has opened Berlin-Brandenburg Airport to Emirates while keeping the carrier’s wider German network tightly capped, after both sides agreed a revised traffic arrangement in September. The Dubai airline can add up to seven weekly flights to Berlin, but its existing services to Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf and Hamburg remain frozen at a combined total of nine flights a day.
The change gives Emirates a fifth German gateway without loosening restrictions elsewhere in the market. Flights from Berlin may operate only between Germany and the UAE, with no fifth-freedom continuation to third countries. The new rights are expected to intensify competition with Lufthansa and Condor on long-haul traffic from the German capital, while preserving the current limits at Emirates’ established airports.
The ministry described the cap on the other German points as permanent, removing the prospect of further expansion at the existing gateways. The Berlin right becomes available from the signing date if Emirates chooses to launch services, although the operational start has not yet been set out in detail.