Top 5: These Are Emirates' Longest Fifth-Freedom Flights (2024)

The freedoms of the air are a set of overarching rules that govern how much foreign airlines operate in other countries. They allow sovereign nations to control their airspace and give airlines standardized rules for flying cargo and passengers.

Nine freedoms of the air exist currently, and most were ratified during the Convention on International Civil Aviation, or the Chicago Convention, which created the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and many laws that govern international flight.

What is the fifth freedom of the air?

According to the ICAO, the fifth freedom of air is as follows:

“The right or privilege, in respect of scheduled international air services, granted by one State to another State to put down and to take on, in the territory of the first State, traffic coming from or destined to a third State.”

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Photo:Geography of Transport Systems

This means that airlines can pick up and drop off passengers from one country to another connecting country on the way to or from their home country. An example is Emirates flying from Dubai to New Zealand with a stop in Australia. Tickets can be sold for any sector in this route, and passengers who have no intention of flying to Dubai can be dropped off or picked up in Australia.

The list below highlights the five longest fifth freedom flights Emirates Airlines operates. Cirium, an aviation analytics company, provides the data for June.

1 Barcelona to Mexico City

The route facilitates travel for passengers between Europe and South America.

The longest flights are between Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport (BCN), Spain, and Mexico City International Airport (MEX), Mexico. The former is the second-busiest airport in Spain, while the latter is the busiest airport in Mexico.

Photo:JetKat | Shutterstock

The route measures 5,901 miles (9,496 km) as the crow flies and takes an average of 11 hours in each direction.

Emirates operates daily flights along the route, which means it will fly 60 times back and forth. The airline uses the 302-seat Boeing 777-200LR, which allows it to offer a total of 18,120 seats on the route and 106.9 million available seat miles (ASM).

2 Athens to Newark

A popular route for those avoiding JFK

The flights between Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” (ATH), Greece, and Newark Liberty International Airport, US. While many flights fly from Europe to the US, many flights from Athens land at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), and not Newark. This fifth freedom flight provides passengers with an alternative to the hustle and bustle of JFK.

Photo: Emirates

The route measures just shy of 5,000 mi (8,046 km) in a straight line and takes an average of 10 hours and 30 minutes. Emirates utilizes the Boeing 777-300ER for this route and operates the flight daily. The aircraft allows the airline to provide 354 seats per departure.

Overall, the route provides passengers with 21,240 seats and 105.2 million ASMs in both directions.

3 New York to Milan

It has the highest capacity among Emirates' fifth freedom routes

The flight from JFK to Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) is the highest-capacity flight on the list. MXP services much of northern Italy. MXP has quite a few direct flights to JFK, but only a handful of them utilize the Airbus A380-800 Super Jumbo.

Photo: Emirates

Emirates operates a daily flight from JFK to MXP and back. The flight is only 3,995 miles (6,429 km) long. The shorter distance allows the airline to operate a high-capacity version of the Airbus A380 on this route. As a result, the airline provides 518 seats per departure.

In both directions, Emirates offers 31,136 seats and 124.3 million ASMs.

4 Melbourne to Singapore

Capturing a lucrative market

Melbourne to Singapore is a popular direct flight route, and Emirates smartly utilizes the fifth freedom of the air to capture some market share of this lucrative route.

Photo: Kletr | Shutterstock

Emirates operates a daily flight along the 3,743 mile (6,023 km) route which takes an average of eight hours and 15 minutes. The airline operates the Boeing A330-300 on this route, which offers 360 seats per departure. It is the second-highest capacity flight on the list, but not by much.

The airline provides 21,600 seats and 80.8 million ASMs per month on the route.

5 Bogota to Miami

Connecting the Americas

El Dorado International Airport (BOG) to Miami International Airport (MIA) is a popular route within the Americas. BOG is the second busiest airport in Latin America and is a destination for many Americans, especially in Florida, which has a large Latino population.

Photo: Soos Jozsef | Shutterstock

It is the shortest and lowest-capacity route on the list, at 1,506 miles (2,423 km). Emirates operates a daily flight using the Boeing 777-300ER on this route, which provides 354 seats per departure.

The airline provides 18,424 seats and 29.8 million ASMs per month in both directions.