Dubai: UAE residents with travel plans between now and mid-November will still get some bargain deals despite the latest round of Middle East tensions flaring in the background.
Two-way Economy fares on direct flights to destinations in the Middle East, including Jordan and Egypt, are in the quite affordable range of Dh927 to Dh1,116. Tickets to Saudi Arabia are at Dh468 on average to Riyadh and Dh748 for Jeddah. UK and Europe airfares are also in the affordable bracket, at Dh2,560 (for London) and Dh3,100 (Geneva).
Olivier Ponti, Director of Intelligence and Marketing at ForwardKeys, a travel industry intelligence firm, said the impact of the situation in Lebanon and Gaza is limited for the GCC. Ponti said operational disruptions occur only during ‘crossfires’ between warring nations.
“Then it bounces back quickly - travel is incredibly resilient despite all of these conflicts,” said Ponti.
Inward travel demand
Travel into the UAE, as the busiest part of the year gets rolling, is already running at peak capacity. This week’s Gitex Global tech industry show in Dubai was one factor, and the coming weeks will see multiple big-name events taking off in succession.
According to Arooha Travels’ Rashid Abbas, “What we have seen with travel demand is that any decline this is momentary. Demand picks up when matters cool down.”
Cheapest places to fly now
“Traveling from the UAE to exciting destinations has become more affordable due to recent airfare reductions,” said Skyscanner’s Ayoub El Mamoun. “The reductions are due to expanded flight routes and increased airline competition.”
Prices to some destinations have dropped considerably compared to last year. For example, trips to Bucharest now offer a 35% price drop to Dh1,050 from Dh1,417 compared to the previous year.
When it comes to Trabzon in Turkey, tickets are priced at Dh993, Dh106 cheaper than 2023 levels. Beijing fares have also seen a 23% decrease, with connecting flights priced at Dh1,560 and direct flights at Dh3,510, Dh170 cheaper than last time.
Similarly, for Tokyo, fares have dropped 22%, but that’s for connecting flights. Direct flights to Japan remain in the Dh5,750 to Dh6,070 range.
“Travelers seeking even further price drops are flying out of Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah in some cases,” said Mehar Sawlani, Director of Sales at Richmond Gulf Travels. “Fares from Sharjah International Airport are also competitively priced.”
Fares to India
On the other hand, fares to India will see a spike at the end of October in time for Diwali. Afi Ahmed, Managing Director of Smart Travel, said, “At the moment, fares to India are affordable. One can buy return tickets for Dh780 to Dh1,100.
“However, fares will sharply rise closer to Diwali, especially to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru. And it will remain high until January next.”
Return Economy fares on the hyper-busy Kerala sector average between Dh604 (Thiruvananthapuram) and Dh830 (Kochi). After October 29, these fares shoot up to Dh875 to Dh931.
Abu Dhabi—Mumbai flights are priced at Dh981 (Indigo) for travel between October 24 and November 4. Delhi fares are priced at Dh1,140, and Bengaluru flights are priced at Dh824 (Indigo).
