Dubai-based carrier Emirates has reportedly said it is ready to play the long game in seeking to add routes in Germany, following the launch of its A380 superjumbo on the route to Frankfurt this week.
Germany is one of the few major travel markets that the airline is struggling to penetrate, Bloomberg reported, adding that it can serve only four German cities under a bilateral air-services accord dating from 1975.
It quoted Emirates’ chief commercial officer Thierry Antinori as saying: “We will get the traffic rights one day or the other… It’s a question of time. We have to respect the rules. Germany is missing an opportunity, it is a pity.”
Emirates and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways have been looking to acquire further landings rights in Germany since 2004. The carriers have so far been unable to secure the extra capacity they desire and in 2012 a senior government official said this was not a high priority for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government.
Emirates operates a total of 63 weekly passenger flights out of Germany. Hamburg and Dusseldorf are double daily, Frankfurt is triple daily and Munich has a double daily A380 service but it does not fly to Berlin, the capital.
That compares with its network of six UK airports and five in Australia.
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