Emirates delays planned flights to Berlin Brandenburg Airport

Emirates has announced it will temporarily postpone the launch of direct flights to Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER). The decision, communicated by CEO Tim Clark at the World Routes conference in Frankfurt, stems from differing interpretations of a bilateral aviation agreement reached between Germany and the United Arab Emirates in September 2026.

Under the agreement, the German government granted UAE airlines the option to serve a fifth German airport with up to seven weekly frequencies. However, the deal includes restrictive coupling clauses: if Emirates utilizes Berlin, it would be prohibited from increasing flight capacities at its existing German hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg.

Clark stated that the airline must ensure the “spirit and the way it was translated” of the agreement are correctly understood before proceeding. The current impasse highlights a conflict between expanding access to the capital and the potential loss of growth opportunities at the airline's established German destinations.