Emirates Puts Berlin BER Plans on Hold Over Disputed Agreement Wording

After more than 20 years of pushing for access to Berlin, Emirates appeared to reach a breakthrough in September when Germany and the United Arab Emirates amended their bilateral air-traffic agreement. The celebration was short-lived. On Wednesday, Emirates CEO Tim Clark told attendees at the World Routes aviation conference in Frankfurt am Main that the airline would not be flying to Berlin for the time being. The Handelsblatt reported his remarks on Thursday.

Clark said the problem lies in how the two sides read the agreement: both parties interpret certain passages of the September deal differently. Before Emirates launches any Berlin service, he said, it must be confirmed that the spirit of the agreement and its translation are correct. An insider, cited in the source reporting, described the deal's drafting as sloppy — echoing concerns that industry observers had already been voicing.

BER had hoped the long-sought Emirates connection would strengthen its long-haul appeal. For now, that prospect remains on hold until the two sides resolve their differences over the agreement's exact meaning.