After 22 Years Of Fighting, Emirates Suddenly Puts Its Berlin Plans On Ice

Paul has had a career of 25+ years focused on the international technology sector, which has taken him to over 100 countries. Along the way, he developed a deep love for aviation, with a travel bucket list measured by aircraft types flown rather than destinations reached. Now he brings that avgeek passion, along with the journalism experience he accumulated early in his career, to write insightful pieces for Simple Flying.

Emirates has spent 22 years fighting for permission to fly to Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), but the Dubai-based airline has unexpectedly put its plans on ice. Despite Germany's September decision to permit a fifth UAE airline destination, President Sir Tim Clark says unresolved conditions mean Emirates will not launch the long-awaited service for now.

The dispute centers on restrictions that could prevent Emirates from expanding its existing German operations, as well as concerns over requirements for the disclosure of company data. Meanwhile, the new rights are not reserved for Emirates, raising the intriguing possibility that other UAE carriers such as Etihad Airways could establish a Berlin service instead.

Emirates Finally Gets Berlin Approval — But At What Cost?

Speaking at the Routes World conference in Frankfurt this week, Clark declared that Emirates would not fly to Berlin for the time being. He suggested that Germany and the UAE interpreted aspects of their agreement differently, particularly its wording and translation:

"Emirates is ready to bring daily widebody connectivity to Berlin and connect it with our extensive network, backed by substantial investment. But we will not fly to Berlin at the moment. We need to make sure that the spirit of the agreement and the way it was translated were correct."

The reversal contrasts sharply with Clark's enthusiasm in recent months, when Emirates publicly committed to investing more than €100 million annually in new Berlin and Stuttgart operations if granted permission to fly there. But while Clark says that plans for a new Berlin route from Dubai International Airport (DXB) are on ice for now, he says that the airline will reconsider once the uncertainties are resolved.

So what is Clark concerned about? Handelsblatt reports that there are very specific concerns over some provisions contained within the September agreement between Germany and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The agreement permits one UAE national carrier to add a fifth German airport, reportedly with daily flights. However, the arrangement would also cap frequencies at that carrier's existing German destinations, and industry reporting by Aviation Direct identifies additional restrictions involving fifth-freedom rights as well as potentially invasive requirements for the disclosure of company data.

The frequency freeze is particularly significant. Emirates would potentially lose the ability to restore a third daily Munich Airport (MUC) flight or introduce a planned fourth daily Frankfurt Airport (FRA) service. Restrictions on fifth-freedom flights are reportedly another sticking point, although Clark has not publicly identified which specific provisions he wants to be amended.

Why Has Emirates Been Fighting For Berlin For 22 Years?

The dispute dates all the way back to 2004, when Emirates began seeking access to Berlin and Stuttgart Airport (STR). Under the longstanding 1994 bilateral agreement, UAE carriers faced restrictions on the number of German destinations, and the airline was capped at its current four cities. Berlin's exclusion has therefore remained a longstanding aviation controversy, even after Brandenburg Airport opened in 2020.

Even without Berlin, Emirates has built a substantial German network, carrying 2.36 million passengers in 2025. Around 60% connected beyond Dubai, demonstrating the importance of onward markets such as Australia and Southeast Asia. But the airline's established presence at Germany's four major gateways also illustrates what could be constrained by the proposed agreement.

Meanwhile, Lufthansa has consistently opposed expanded Gulf carrier access, arguing that unequal competitive conditions threaten German aviation jobs and connecting traffic. The breakthrough nevertheless came during September's UAE presidential visit, alongside €40 billion in announced investment commitments. Berlin welcomed the decision, while Lufthansa and German aviation unions criticized it.

Could Another UAE Airline Beat Emirates To Berlin?

A fascinating angle to the story is that the agreement is not exclusive to Emirates, but rather applies to any UAE carrier. Etihad may be the strongest alternative. The Abu Dhabi-based carrier already serves Frankfurt, Munich and Düsseldorf, and German industry sources report that it has expressed interest in Berlin. However, it might be a less likely contender as Condor recently launched daily Berlin–Abu Dhabi flights under an Etihad codeshare, already providing access to its global connecting network.

flydubai and Air Arabia are other possibilities. Flydubai's Boeing 737 fleet could support a narrower-capacity Berlin–Dubai operation, although its Emirates partnership would not necessarily overcome the restrictions. Meanwhile, Air Arabia is rapidly expanding its German network. It already has flights to Munich, and is adding Sharjah–Frankfurt flights on December 15 and Düsseldorf on December 16. Both routes will use Airbus A320neo aircraft, joining its existing Munich service and giving the airline three German destinations.

It's worth noting that the unresolved provisions could also discourage other applicants as well, and ultimately, the UAE will need to work through them and determine which airline receives the additional rights. Emirates remains in pole position, having previously requested Berlin slots with Winter 2026 originally considered a possible launch window. But for now, after 22 years of campaigning, Emirates will be waiting a little longer before reaching Berlin.