Berlin, September 11th, 2026 (The Berlin Spectator) – BER Airport in Schönefeld (Brandenburg province) is not known for lots of intercontinental destinations because Frankfurt Airport is the main hub in Germany. Even Munich’s Franz Josef Strauss Airport is more important than BER, which is why Berliners and Brandenburgers had only 23 intercontinental routes to choose from. Now, there are 24.
Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates, is in town. On Thursday, he visited Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (member of the conservative CDU). This visitor should give us a hint about which destination we are talking about. Yes, it’s Dubai. The airline Emirates now has the right to offer daily flights, thanks to a new air transport agreement.
“This state visit marks a new chapter in our partnership”, Wegner stated. “With daily Emirates long-haul flights from Berlin to Dubai, two growing economic regions are moving even closer together. This will further improve the international connectivity of BER, the capital’s airport. It’s a strong signal for East Germany as a business location.”
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“Better international connections create new opportunities for investment, business and jobs across all of eastern Germany”, the Governing Mayor added. “Especially in economically challenging times, we need to enable growth rather than hold it back. I’m delighted that we reached this agreement together after intensive negotiations.”
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President Al Nahyan said: “Berlin shares many of the qualities Emiratis know from home, which is why the city quickly feels familiar.” (Oh, it does?) His Highness added: “The same holds true in reverse. Every year, tens of thousands of people from Berlin visit the United Arab Emirates, and we hope this trend continues to grow. We are very interested in fostering partnerships between cities in the United Arab Emirates and Berlin through expert exchange in technology, innovation, transport, culture, urban development and other areas of shared interest.”
There we go: It’s a win-win situation. But the number of intercontinental flight destinations offered at BER Airport still is ridiculous. (See separate article “Why Doesn’t BER Airport Offer More Intercontinental Flights?”)
