Germany and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to expand the UAE’s air traffic rights to a fifth German destination, paving the way for up to seven weekly flights. The agreement clears the way for Emirates to operate the daily Dubai–Berlin service it has repeatedly sought since 2004.
Berlin authorities have confirmed that the revised arrangement allows Emirates to offer daily long-haul flights from Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), although the Dubai-based carrier has yet to announce an official launch date.
The development removes a long-standing restriction that has limited Emirates to four German destinations: Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf and Hamburg.
Under the previous bilateral air services agreement, the UAE was restricted to four German gateways. Although Emirates had repeatedly sought access to Berlin and Stuttgart, adding either city would have required the airline to surrender one of its existing destinations.
Rather than abandon an established German market, Emirates continued lobbying for an expansion of the bilateral agreement.
The breakthrough now means the airline can add a fifth German city without sacrificing its existing network.
A 22-year campaign finally pays off
Emirates has been pressing for access to Berlin since 2004, making the German capital one of the longest-standing destinations absent from its European network.
The issue came into sharper focus in June when Emirates President Sir Tim Clark said the airline had already secured slots at Berlin Brandenburg Airport but remained unable to launch services because regulatory approval had not been granted.
Clark also criticized Lufthansa’s opposition to greater access for Gulf carriers, arguing that the German airline should compete directly rather than depend on government restrictions to shield its market position.
At the time, Clark said Emirates was prepared to operate daily Boeing 777-300ER services to both Berlin and Stuttgart, with the proposed operations representing more than €100 million a year in spending on areas including staffing, fuel, airport charges and other operating costs.
He also stressed the potential importance of the routes to German exporters and the cargo market.
“German businesses have told us they need it, the Berlin Chamber of Commerce has called for it, and our own data confirms that the demand is most certainly there.”
The revised traffic-rights arrangement now allows a UAE carrier to serve a fifth German destination, with the additional operation capped at seven flights a week. The agreement also excludes fifth-freedom operations.
Although Berlin is not explicitly named in the bilateral declaration, Bloomberg reported that Emirates had been cleared to operate the Berlin–Dubai route. Berlin’s government subsequently confirmed that the agreement allows the carrier to offer daily long-haul flights from BER.
The decision came during UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s state visit to Germany, which was accompanied by a broader effort to strengthen economic ties between the two countries.
The UAE announced a €40 billion investment package for Germany, while companies from both countries signed 29 agreements valued at more than €9.35 billion.
The aviation agreement formed part of the wider economic relationship, with Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner welcoming the prospect of a direct Emirates connection.
“This state visit seals a new chapter in our partnership. With daily Emirates long-haul flights from Berlin to Dubai, two large economic regions are growing even closer together. This will further improve the international connections of the capital's airport, and is a strong signal for eastern Germany as a business location: Better international connections create new opportunities for investment, businesses, and jobs."
Why Lufthansa resisted Emirates expansion
The dispute over Emirates’ German expansion has for years placed the Dubai-based carrier at odds with the Lufthansa Group.
Lufthansa’s objections have focused largely on the role of Dubai International Airport as a connecting hub rather than on Dubai itself as a destination.
The German airline has argued that additional Emirates frequencies do not necessarily create new direct intercontinental connections for Germany. Instead, passengers can fly from Germany to Dubai and connect there to destinations across Asia, Africa and Australasia.
“There is no sense to this. Germany would not gain any direct intercontinental flights through additional frequencies for Emirates.”
Lufthansa has argued that such traffic diverts passengers, economic activity and jobs away from European hubs such as Frankfurt and Munich.
It has also raised concerns about differences in regulatory, environmental and labour conditions between European and Gulf airlines.
Emirates, however, maintains that its connecting traffic serves markets that German airlines do not adequately cover.
The airline carried about 2.36 million passengers to and from Germany in 2025, according to its figures. Around 40 per cent travelled between Germany and Dubai, while approximately 60 per cent connected onward through Dubai.
Among the major onward markets were Australia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
Emirates argues that its Dubai hub provides access to roughly 50 destinations across Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Australasia that are not served nonstop by a German airline.
That distinction lies at the heart of the disagreement. Lufthansa views additional Emirates capacity as a threat to European hub traffic, while Emirates presents its network as complementary infrastructure that gives German consumers and businesses access to markets that would otherwise require additional connections.
Lufthansa has also pointed out that Emirates was technically able to enter Berlin under the old arrangement if it surrendered one of its four existing German destinations.
Emirates, however, declined to abandon established markets such as Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf or Hamburg simply to gain access to the German capital.
The new agreement changes that equation.
Emirates already has a major German operation
Germany is already one of Emirates’ significant European markets.
The airline currently operates 63 weekly passenger flights to its four established German destinations, equivalent to nine departures a day.
Frankfurt receives 21 weekly flights, while Munich, Düsseldorf and Hamburg each receive 14.
Emirates has served Germany since launching its first Frankfurt service in July 1987. Munich followed in 1999, Düsseldorf in 2001 and Hamburg in 2006.
The carrier deploys a mixture of widebody aircraft across the four cities, including the Airbus A380, Airbus A350 and Boeing 777.
The addition of Berlin could increase Emirates’ German operation to as many as 70 weekly flights if all seven newly permitted frequencies are used.
Berlin market set for a major increase in capacity
The proposed Emirates service will enter a market that is already becoming increasingly competitive.
Berlin and Dubai currently have no Emirates service, but other carriers are preparing to expand capacity between the two cities.
Condor is scheduled to operate daily Berlin–Dubai flights using Airbus A320neo aircraft from October 25, while Eurowings is expected to begin daily A320neo service from November 1.
Lufthansa is also preparing to resume Dubai services from Frankfurt and Munich during the winter season.
As a result, Emirates will not be entering an uncontested market. Instead, the airline will arrive as a major long-haul competitor with a widebody aircraft and a large connecting network through Dubai.
If Emirates uses the full seven weekly frequencies, Berlin–Dubai could eventually have up to three daily services when all carriers are operating at their planned schedules.
That would represent a dramatic increase from the current situation, with more than 20,000 monthly seats potentially added between the German capital and Dubai.
For Berlin Brandenburg Airport, the Emirates service would also strengthen the airport’s long-haul network and its connections to markets beyond the Middle East.
For Emirates, meanwhile, the route would close a long-standing gap in its European network while giving it direct access to Germany’s capital and one of the continent’s largest metropolitan economies.
Launch date now the remaining question
The regulatory barrier has effectively been removed, but Emirates has yet to announce when its Berlin service will begin.
The airline’s earlier comments suggest it already has the operational capacity and airport slots required to launch the route.
The remaining step is therefore expected to be the publication of a schedule and the opening of ticket sales.
After 22 years of lobbying, Emirates now has the regulatory permission it has been seeking. The next question is no longer whether the airline can fly to Berlin, but when its first Dubai-bound Boeing 777 will depart from the German capital.