Emirates will not initially launch flights to Berlin Brandenburg Airport, despite Germany granting airlines from the United Arab Emirates access to a fifth German airport. The Dubai-based carrier is withholding a decision on Berlin until Germany and the UAE resolve differences over the interpretation and translation of their new air-services agreement, including restrictions that could limit network expansion and fifth-freedom operations.
Emirates CEO Tim Clark told the World Routes 2026 conference in Frankfurt that the airline would not fly to Berlin “at the moment” and would proceed only once the agreement’s intent and wording were clear. Emirates currently serves Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf and Hamburg, and had previously sought access to both Berlin and Stuttgart.
The new arrangement allows a UAE airline to operate up to seven weekly flights at one additional German airport. However, the carrier using those rights would reportedly be unable to increase frequencies at its existing German destinations for an unspecified period. The agreement may also prevent fifth-freedom services from the additional airport to third countries, a commercially significant restriction for Emirates, which previously operated Dubai-Hamburg-New York.
The rights are not reserved for Emirates or Berlin. Etihad or flydubai could use them, while Stuttgart or another German airport could be selected instead. Berlin currently has no Emirates service to Dubai; Eurowings is scheduled to resume daily flights to Dubai on 1 November, while Condor began daily Berlin-Abu Dhabi service on 15 October.