Germany and the United Arab Emirates have recently announced plans to enhance their air transport agreement, allowing Emirates to finally operate flights to Berlin, a goal it has pursued for more than twenty years. As anticipated, Lufthansa is not pleased about this development and has accused the German government of various issues…
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Emirates will at last connect Dubai and Berlin
On Thursday, September 10, 2026, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan conducted a state visit to Germany, where he conferred with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. In conjunction with this visit, the UAE committed to invest €40 billion in Germany to fortify relations between the two nations.
An aviation component was also included — as a part of this investment, it was declared that airlines from the UAE would be permitted to operate in a fifth German city.
Currently, air travel between Germany and the UAE is limited by a bilateral agreement, which has previously restricted UAE airlines to just four German airports. The UAE has been eager to broaden this agreement, but Germany has been resistant until now.
For a significant period, Emirates has chosen to operate flights to Dusseldorf (DUS), Frankfurt (FRA), Hamburg (HAM), and Munich (MUC). Nevertheless, since at least 2004, Emirates has sought to introduce flights to Berlin (BER). For years, Lufthansa has successfully campaigned to prevent this service, but that is no longer the situation.
Although not explicitly mentioned in the agreement, the understanding is that an airline from the UAE can commence service to a fifth city in Germany provided that current air service to the other airports remains unchanged and the airline does not intend to initiate fifth freedom services from there.
It is quite evident which route this refers to, with Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner already welcoming Emirates to the city. While it may not produce the highest yields, Berlin is indisputably the largest city in Germany, making this a significant win for competition.
The inconsistency in bilateral agreements regarding Germany has been perplexing. For instance, Qatar Airways can serve five German cities (including Berlin), while Emirates has only been allowed to serve four. How can this be justified from a competitive perspective?
Emirates will finally be permitted to operate flights to Berlin
Lufthansa criticizes German government for this decision
Lufthansa has long been advocating to hinder Gulf carriers from growing in Germany, utilizing the usual arguments (“they’re taking our jobs!”). For years, Lufthansa has specifically focused its campaign on preventing Emirates from expanding to Berlin.
Ironically, Lufthansa does not regard Berlin as a key market — instead, it views Germany’s largest city primarily as a feeder airport for its two main hubs, even though Lufthansa Group does provide Dubai service through its low-cost carrier subsidiary, Eurowings.
In reaction to this announcement, a spokesperson from Lufthansa Group issued the following statement:
“The agreement to expand traffic rights today in favor of the United Arab Emirates shifts additional value and jobs to the Gulf, exacerbating the competition distortion. The already challenging situation on domestic routes connecting metropolitan areas to domestic hubs will be further aggravated by this policy. This federal government is scoring too many own goals.”
Interestingly, I believe Lufthansa’s argument illustrates precisely why Emirates should receive this permission. Lufthansa contends that the expansion of Emirates to Berlin jeopardizes their domestic feeder flights. This effectively comes down to “how will we manage to fill our domestic feeder flights and persuade passengers to pay excessively for double connections when Emirates provides a superior product, better pricing, and more direct routing?”
Germans have a strong preference for sunny destinations in winter, often traveling to places like Bali (DPS), Phuket (HKT), etc. Lufthansa aims to offer these travelers a double connection with high prices, while Gulf carriers can transport them with just one stop.
I would view this as a substantial victory for consumers, as Lufthansa seeks to control Berlin without genuinely investing in the market.
Lufthansa is displeased with this new competition from Emirates
Bottom line
Emirates has at last secured the rights to operate flights to Berlin, a desire it has harbored for over 20 years. However, the bilateral agreement between the two nations limited air access to four destinations. Thanks to enhanced collaboration between the two countries, airlines from the UAE will now be enabled to serve five destinations in Germany.
While specific details regarding Emirates’ new service to Berlin remain unclear, this introduces much-needed competition for Germany’s largest city.
What are your thoughts on Emirates finally receiving authorization to fly to Berlin?