Demand for charter flights picks up for Qatar World Cup
Airfares from UAE to Doha have shot up ahead of the Fifa World Cup, and die-hard football fans are willing to shell out on ticket prices to catch a glimpse of their favourite team live in action.
As the event gets closer, the demand for private charter jets is on the rise, according to industry sources.
DC Aviation Al Futtaim has announced that it was offering special charter flights from Dubai to fans to head to Doha and support their teams. A spokesperson said that the decision to launch the special flights was made due to strong customer demand.
“We have seen a three-fold increase in inquiries on this route for the period between November and December. This is expected to spike as we move closer to the tournament,” said Holger Ostheimer, managing director of DC Aviation Al Futtaim.
“The Fifa World Cup is the biggest sporting spectacle in the world. With the World Cup in Doha, it offers many Uae-based fans a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a part of the biggest sporting event and watch their favourite players and teams live in action,” Ostheimer said.
Other industry sources confirm this increase in demand. Shilpa Mahtani is the co-founder and COO of luxury rentals bnbme holiday homes that organise private jet services for those that stay in their properties. “The demand for private jets, which had soared during the pandemic, had tapered down in the last couple of months,” said Shilpa. “However, with the Fifa games coming up, we have seen an increase in demand of almost 8 to 10 per cent for chartered flights from Dubai to Qatar.”
World Cup fever
The high demand for private jets comes even as the governing body Fifa revealed that they have received more than 23 million ticket requests.
The Fifa World Cup is one of the most anticipated events for football fans and is expected to attract audiences worldwide. However, sources say football enthusiasts aren’t the only ones booking their tickets on private jets.
“In addition to private groups of football enthusiasts, we are also seeing enquiries from businesses that want to organise flights for their clients,” said Ahmed Shajeer, director of commercial at Jetzhub. “Currently we are seeing a lot of demand from Europe. A lot of people want to come and enjoy a vacation in Dubai during the time of the World Cup and fly to Doha just to watch the games. We are sure that the event will be a major tourism boost for the region, especially for Dubai.”