Emirates said on Monday it is considering the launch of a so-called fifth freedom route from Hamburg to New York.
The Dubai-based airline said that it has been asked to restart the service by the First Mayor of Hamburg, Peter Tschentscher.
An Emirates spokesperson said: “We can confirm that during a recent visit to Emirates’ head office in Dubai, First Mayor of Hamburg Peter Tschentscher and his delegation asked Emirates to seriously consider restarting Dubai-Hamburg-New York services.
“We have taken the delegation’s comments on board, and are happy to be asked in the first instance, as this speaks to the value that Emirates can bring to communities and economies.”
Fifth freedom rights allow an airline to fly between two foreign countries so long as the flight originates or ends in the airline’s home country.
Reports suggest the route, which would be the first non-stop service between Hamburg and the Big Apple, will be flown on an Emirates 777-300ER.
Fifth freedom flights have caused controversy in the United States with a congressional delegation writing to US President Trump in 2017, seeking his intervention to stop an service operating via Athens.
An agreement signed between the US and UAE regarding civil aviation last year confirmed “business as usual” and allowed Emirates to continue to operate fifth freedom routes to the US.
The agreement was announced following a meeting between US Secretary Mike Pompeo and the UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Several American news outlets had reported that the agreement included a ‘freeze’ on opening fifth freedom rights but this was denied by officials.
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