UAE: How much it will cost to charter flights to Qatar for Fifa 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.”

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 organize 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 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.”

How much they cost

The cost for the private charter varies according to the size of the jet. From a 6-seater plane to one that houses 400 people, most private jet companies have a variety of aircraft to choose from.

— 4-to-6-seater planes

Approx. Dh66,000 ($18,000)

— 10–12-seater plane, for a return flight

Approx. Dhs. 110,000 ($30,000)

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• UAE flights: Ticket prices up by nearly 1,900% ahead of Fifa World Cup in Qatar

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• Fifa World Cup: UAE soccer fans may have to pay up to $20,000 for special charter flights

Last week Khaleej Times had reported that airline tickets had increased by 1900% in the days leading up to the matches on the back of strong demand.

Since then, the low-cost airline flyDubai has announced that it will operate 60 flights a day to Doha during the Fifa World Cup, which is scheduled to be held from November 21 to December 18.

It is expected that travel between Qatar and the UAE, especially from Dubai, will pick up substantially during the event, with several UAE football fans flying to Doha to watch the matches, while many people flying down to Qatar to watch matches are likely to visit Dubai as well for the region’s largest tourism destination.

Sources: Holger Ostheimer, DC Aviation Al-Futtaim and Ahmed Shajeer, JetzHub

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