Ticket relief for expats travelling in September
DEMAND FOR REPATRIATION FLIGHTS IS HIGHER THAN SUPPLY, EXPERTS SAY
Airlines and travel portals listing much lower rates than at present
There could be some relief for UAE expats wanting to fly out in September, with airlines and travel portals listing rates much lower than what they are now.
According to the travel website Skyscanner.ae, a one-way trip to Kochi in the middle of September can be booked for Dh298 on SpiceJet, while Emirates is offering Dh900 to the same destination. Tickets to Mumbai are from Dh329, while Dubai to Lahore is at Dh740.
Going forward, airfares from UAE to destinations in Europe and Asia are expected to come in lower than the seasonal average as countries ease Covid-19 measures and airlines offer deep discounts to attract customers.
But for this to pan out, authorities in those countries must permit more flights. Even though many governments are yet to approve schedules for September, airlines have taken it upon themselves to list flights on important routes — at much lower fares.
For now, rates are heavy
UAE residents catching flights now are shelling out more to go back as Covid-19 related measures restrict commercial flights.
For instance, travellers wanting to head to India can only opt for a repatriation flight or a chartered one. The latter option is proving to be quite expensive due to demand as well as additional costs arising from Covid-19-related precautionary measures.
According to Al Abbas Travels, India-bound chartered flight tickets have become more expensive by up to Dh400, compared to commercial flight fares before the pandemic. India’s subsidised “Vande Bharat” flights cost around Dh900 per ticket on an average.
“Overall prices have been higher as supply has not been able to keep up with demand,” said Neeraj Goswami, associate director at Cleartrip.com.
Emirates and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) are the only airlines operating between UAE and Pakistan at the moment. Coupled with demand, this has resulted in prices shooting up 40-50 per cent from last year.
A seat on a PIA flight heading to Pakistan costs between Dh1,400 and Dh1,500, multiple travel agencies confirmed.
Further to the east, Philippines has enforced strict regulations around landing rights. The nation is only permitting repatriation and some charter flights into its territory, which has resulted in fares rising to an average of Dh2,500, compared to about Dh1,450 at the start of the year.