DUBAI- Emirates (EK) is reportedly close to winning approval for a fifth freedom route between Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) and Lima Airport (LIM), potentially expanding its long-haul presence from Italy.
The reported plan could be part of a wider Milan strategy involving destinations such as Los Angeles, São Paulo, Santiago de Chile and Mexico City, while also increasing competition with ITA Airways.
Emirates’ Milan-Lima Plan Could Be Start of Wider Expansion
According to Corriere della Sera, Emirates is close to receiving Italian government approval for fifth freedom traffic rights between Milan and Lima. Approval could come as early as October, although a final decision had not been granted.
Emirates said it has no immediate plans to activate flights to Lima. The airline said it continues to assess routes based on demand, market conditions, aircraft availability and other factors.
PYOK also reported on the potential expansion and its wider implications for Emirates’ Milan strategy.
A fifth freedom flight allows an airline to carry passengers between 2 foreign countries as part of a service that begins or ends in its home country.
Emirates already operates Dubai-Milan-New York JFK, allowing passengers to book:
- Dubai to Milan
- Dubai to New York JFK
- Milan to New York JFK
Emirates received Italian government approval for the Milan-New York service in 2013, despite legal challenges from local airlines and trade groups.
Unlike an Open Skies arrangement, Emirates needs government approval for each fifth freedom service it wants to operate from Italy.
Why Lima Makes Sense for Emirates
Emirates has been seeking to expand its South American presence, but Dubai-Lima is difficult to operate nonstop because of the distance.
The great circle distance between Dubai and Lima is around 8,000 nautical miles. Emirates’ Boeing 777-200LR can technically cover that distance, but only with limited margin, and payload restrictions could make a nonstop operation less financially attractive.
A Milan-Lima fifth freedom service would give Emirates access to the market through Europe instead.
Emirates already uses similar fifth freedom routes elsewhere, including:
- Rio de Janeiro-Buenos Aires
- Miami-Bogotá
- Barcelona-Mexico City
More than 150,000 passengers travel between Milan and Lima each year, according to Corriere della Sera. Because no direct service currently connects the cities, passengers must connect elsewhere.
Emirates could capture some of this traffic while competing with airlines such as Air France, Iberia and KLM, which already operate nonstop services from their European hubs to Lima.
Milan Could Become a Larger Emirates Hub
The Lima route may be only the beginning. Sources cited by Corriere della Sera say Emirates is also considering Milan links to:
- Los Angeles
- São Paulo
- Santiago de Chile
- Mexico City
A wider operation could effectively establish Emirates as another long-haul operator based around Milan, rather than using the airport only as an intermediate point.
That could put additional pressure on ITA Airways, which is majority-owned by Lufthansa and has concentrated its long-haul network around Rome while using Milan primarily as a short-haul hub.
Emirates could also compete for connecting passengers that currently travel through other European hubs.
Lufthansa Connection
The Milan strategy may also be viewed in the context of Emirates’ long-running dispute with Lufthansa over access to Berlin.
Lufthansa has successfully opposed wider Emirates access to Berlin, despite efforts by Emirates President Sir Tim Clark to gain greater access to Germany.
A larger Milan operation could give Emirates another European base for long-haul growth without relying on expanded access to the German market.
Emirates and Other Traffic Rights
The broader value of fifth freedom rights is also visible in Emirates’ other markets.
Earlier this year, Israel offered Emirates seventh-freedom rights for potential services between Tel Aviv and New York and between Tel Aviv and Bangkok in an effort to bring the airline back to the country.
Emirates had suspended its Israel services following the October 7, 2023 attacks and, at the time of the original report, had not been persuaded to return.
What Milan-Lima Proposal Means
The Milan-Lima route could give Emirates a stronger position in South America while adding a new fifth-freedom market from Italy.
More importantly, the reported plans for other American destinations suggest that Lima could be the first step in a broader Emirates long-haul expansion from Milan.
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