German Union Demands Government Transparency Over Emirates' Proposed Berlin Flights

Published Nov 9, 2026, 7:55 AM EST A graduate in German, Jake has a passion for history and regional aviation, and enjoys sampling new carriers and aircraft. He has visited OEM facilities as far and wide as Bristol, Toulouse, and Seattle, and recently enjoyed the milestone of flying his 150th sector as a passenger. Based in Norfolk, UK. Emirates' ongoing battle to establish flights from its main hub at Dubai International Airport (DXB) in the UAE to Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) in Germany has just taken another interesting turn. Specifically, the Unabhängige Flugbegleiter Organisation (Independent Flight Attendants' Organization, or UFO) has asked the German government for more transparency regarding the carrier's traffic rights. UFO points to outstanding uncertainties highlighted by Emirates President Tim Clark in a recent interview with airliners.de, in which he said that, while he wants his airline to fly to the German capital, aspects of the relevant air transport agreement need ironing out. The trade union has also argued that Emirates flights to Berlin would impact German connectivity, as well as undermining workers' rights. Would Emirates Flights To Berlin Be Detrimental To German Aviation? Credit: Bogaletzki Pressefoto | Shutterstock As noted by UFO, among the areas requiring clarification from the German government in its traffic rights regarding potential Emirates flights to and from Berlin are "the wording, language versions, and the signing on the German side." Kai Uwe Fuelle-Netzer, a UFO Board Member for Policy & External Relations, says that "the government must now disclose the rights it has granted and on what basis." He went on to say that "if even the airline that is supposed to benefit cannot say what was agreed upon, the German government has a transparency problem." Regardless of these uncertainties, the union is also concerned that allowing Emirates to fly to Berlin may be detrimental to connectivity in German aviation, with Fuelle-Netzer saying that "the Chancellor doesn't care about German jobs." He added: "If it comes to fruition, passengers will be changing planes in the Gulf instead of at German hubs. This weakens feeder flights and direct connections and jeopardizes jobs at German and European airlines." Credit: aviationisa | Shutterstock 2026 has been an interesting year as far as Emirates' plans to fly to Berlin are concerned. As seen in the video below, the German capital had long been an obvious omission from the Dubai-based UAE flag carrier's network, but, in February of this year, the airline secured slots to serve the route. It had not received regulatory approval at that point, but this came in September, permitting seven flights a week. Despite the momentous nature of this breakthrough after 22 years of fighting, Simple Flying reported just a month later that Emirates had put these plans on ice. The aforementioned unresolved conditions raised by Tim Clark were the reason for this sudden reversal. In any case, even if this side of things is ironed out, UFO argues that Germany should think twice about allowing the flights on social grounds. The union notes that Emirates "employees are denied internationally recognized labor and human rights" due to the UAE having "not ratified International Labour Organization Conventions 87 (Freedom of Association) and 98 (Right to Collective Bargaining)." It adds that independent trade unions are not allowed in the UAE, so workers "do not have the same opportunities for representation" as in Europe. Emirates' Existing German Flights & Other UAE-Berlin Links Credit: Mario Trusch | Shutterstock Had Emirates been able to start its flights to Berlin as planned, the capital city of Germany would have been its fifth destination in the country. According to scheduling data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Düsseldorf (DUS), Hamburg (HAM), and Munich (MUC) twice a day. Meanwhile, elsewhere in Germany, Frankfurt (FRA) receives three flights a day. That isn't to say that Berlin has been totally void of direct air links to the UAE this year. From January to March, Condor flew from Berlin to Dubai International and Eurowings to Abu Dhabi (AUH), Dubai Al Maktoum (DWC), and Dubai International using Airbus narrowbodies. Last month, Condor also began flying from Berlin to Abu Dhabi. Later in November, Eurowings will restart its flights to Dubai International.