Emirates, the world’s biggest long-haul airline, has renewed its long-standing interest in serving Berlin which would require an expanded air service agreement between the UAE and Germany.
The airline's president Tim Clark and mayor of Berlin Franziska Giffey met on Wednesday at the company's headquarters in Dubai to discuss “Berlin’s potential for more international long-haul connectivity”, Emirates said in a statement on Thursday.
Starting Berlin flights would require Germany to approve more flights from Emirates.
The Dubai-based long-haul giant is seeking to expand beyond the four German cities of Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg and Dusseldorf that it is currently able to serve.
Under an existing bilateral agreement signed in 1994, adding Berlin would mean dropping operations to one of these four destinations.
For more than 20 years, Emirates has publicly expressed interest in adding daily Berlin flights to its network and expanding operations in Germany.
“We do welcome that Mrs Giffey is advocating for more long-haul flight rights for Berlin and we appreciate the ongoing dialogue,” Mr Clark said.
Berlin Brandenburg Airport, which opened in October 2020 after several delays and hurdles, has some direct flights with the Middle East. Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines and Egypt Air are among the major regional carriers, the airport's website says.
“Emirates strongly believes that Berlin Brandenburg has great potential to become a successful destination for long-haul flights,” Mr Clark added.
“Hopefully we will be able to operate Berlin Brandenburg Airport in the future. We would commence flights to Berlin as soon as possible, if that would be permitted in addition to our existing four German destinations.”
By adding the German capital city to its global routes network, Emirates will be able to provide direct access for tourists and business travellers from around the world to and from Berlin, while also offering more cargo capacity for the transport of goods, the airline said.
“We appreciate Emirates’ continued interest in connecting the German capital city with the world,” Ms Giffey, who is also senator for economic affairs, energy and public enterprises, said.
“The Berlin Brandenburg Airport serves the metropolitan region and much of eastern Germany, one of the most dynamic regions in Europe.
“Our goal is to expand the existing long-haul network and I am glad to see Emirates as a partner in this endeavour.”
Starting on October 30, Lufthansa Group's low-cost airline Eurowings will be flying from Berlin to Dubai non-stop four times a week, the Berlin Brandenburg Airport's website says.
Gitex 2025 in Berlin
Emirates started operations to Germany in July 1987 with two weekly flights to Frankfurt.
Since then, it began to serve three additional points – Munich in November 1999, Dusseldorf in March 2001 and Hamburg in March 2006. It currently has 63 weekly services to Germany.
“It has now been 17 years since Emirates added a new destination in Germany. We see Berlin Brandenburg as a natural evolution and an ideal next step in this long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationship,” an Emirates spokeswoman said The National.
Seat load factors – a measure of how well an airline fills available seats – in and out of the German cities that Emirates serves “have always been healthy”, she said.
“Germany is one of the most significant markets on Emirates' network and as a commercially focused and market-oriented airline, we strongly believe in Berlin Brandenburg’s impressive credentials as a profitable, intercontinental market,” she said.
“We know the tourism flows are there and clearly, there is a corporate segment characterised by rapid growth.”
For example, a daily Emirates Boeing 777 flight would also offer Brandenburg-based companies more than 280 tonnes of cargo space per week in both directions for time-sensitive imports and exports, according to the airline spokeswoman.
Meanwhile, Gitex, the global annual tech exhibition will be expanding to Europe where it will be hosted by the German capital in 2025, it said in a statement on October 18. The event will debut from May 21 to 23, 2025.
Berlin has attracted a global influx of tech talent, entrepreneurs and investors and is now home to 5,600 tech start-ups and scale-ups, according to the Gitex statement. Every second euro of all German funding goes to a Berlin start-up.
“Now that Berlin will be hosting the Europe version of Gitex from 2025, there is an even bigger need for more air connectivity,” the Emirates spokeswoman said.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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The five pillars of Islam
Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
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Kei Nishikori - wrist
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
The five pillars of Islam
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
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Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
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Match info:
Real Betis v Sevilla, 10.45pm (UAE)
