Condor has started daily flights between Berlin Brandenburg Airport and Abu Dhabi, adding a Gulf hub to the German capital's limited long-haul network. The year-round service, which launched on 15 October 2026, is operated in codeshare with Etihad Airways, giving passengers from Berlin onward connections across Etihad's network.
Condor flies the route with a 180-seat Airbus A320neo, making it one of the longest sectors the leisure airline operates with an aircraft from the A320 family. Aviation.Direct puts the distance at roughly 4,660 kilometres.
Schedule changes with the winter timetable
Until the end of the summer schedule, the flights leave Berlin at 16:40 and arrive in Abu Dhabi at 01:00 the following day after six hours and 20 minutes in the air. The return leaves Abu Dhabi at 02:15 and lands in Berlin at 07:15 after a seven-hour flight. All times are local.
The time difference between Berlin and Abu Dhabi is currently two hours and will grow to three when Germany switches to winter time on 25 October. From that date, the outbound departure moves to 10:00, arriving in Abu Dhabi at 19:20 local time. The return flight keeps its 02:15 departure and will arrive at Berlin Brandenburg at 06:20.
Etihad partnership opens connections
The codeshare is central to the route. Condor, Etihad and Berlin Brandenburg Airport all point to connections through Abu Dhabi to destinations in Asia, Australia and Africa, with Bangkok, Sydney and Hanoi named as examples. Because the flights are sold under the codeshare, travellers can book their whole journey, including the stop in Abu Dhabi, on one ticket.
"With the launch of daily service between Berlin and Abu Dhabi, we are adding an important destination to our long-haul network and further strengthening international connectivity for the capital region," said Dr. Pierre Dominique Prümm, Condor's chief commercial officer. He said the cooperation with Etihad gives guests both a direct service to Abu Dhabi and connections to numerous destinations beyond it.
Lena Havia, Etihad's vice president alliances and joint ventures, said the networks of the two airlines complement each other. "We are delighted to welcome Condor to Abu Dhabi and to strengthen our offering in the German market through this partnership," she said, adding that Etihad looks forward to growing the partnership.
Zayed International Airport said the new route marks the first scheduled direct connection between the two capitals on Condor's network, and noted that travellers from Abu Dhabi can also reach Condor's network through Berlin.
Why it matters for Berlin
Berlin Brandenburg has struggled to build a broad long-haul offer. Aviation.Direct notes that Emirates still cannot fly to the capital's airport because it lacks traffic rights, which leaves room for alternatives such as Condor's partnership with Etihad. For BER, the airport described the service as a new long-haul route that adds a major international hub to its network.
Using a single-aisle jet on a flight of more than six hours has trade-offs. A narrowbody brings lower operating costs, but offers less space and comfort than a widebody on a sector of this length. Aviation.Direct also points out that the route's long-term performance will depend on how well transfer traffic at Abu Dhabi lines up with the feeder flights from Europe.
A busy autumn for Condor
The Abu Dhabi launch comes as Condor's leadership talks openly about blending leisure and business travel, a theme Condor's chief outlined to FlightGlobal this week as a 'bleisure' transformation. The Berlin route fits that mix: Abu Dhabi is both a holiday destination in its own right and a connecting hub for business and leisure trips further east.
For travellers in the Berlin region, the immediate change is a daily, year-round nonstop to the UAE capital and a one-stop link to Etihad destinations, without having to connect through another German or European hub first.
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