UAE flights: Airfares set to double during Eid Al Fitr holidays

Residents who intend to travel during Eid week are advised to book their tickets now

Waheed Abbas

Published: Fri 18 Feb 2022, 8:07 AM

Last updated: Fri 18 Feb 2022, 10:58 PM

It’s high time to book the tickets if you plan to travel during the Eid Al Fitr holidays before airfares begin to accelerate upward.

Travel industry executives in the UAE say that airfares will continue to rise as bookings increase and they begin to spike once the holy month of Ramadan begins and fares reach the peak by more than double during the Eid Al Fitr week. Therefore, UAE residents who intend to travel during Eid week to meet their loved ones or for vacations should book the ticket now.

Depending on the moon sighting, UAE residents are expected to have a four to five-day break during Eid Al Fitr. The International Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences expect Ramadan to begin on April 2, 2022, while Eid Al Fitr will most likely be celebrated on May 2.

Since airlines around the world operate based on a revenue management system, airfares increase as demand picks up.

“The earlier people book the ticket, the better,” says Sohail Sheikh, Airblue's country manager for the UAE.

“Some people get leave approvals late, so they take a call about their travel plan in the last 15-20 days of Ramadan. Therefore, the demand spikes in the last week of Ramadan, resulting in a big jump in airfares,” he said, adding that return airfares can go up to Dh2,000 on Dubai to Lahore and Islamabad routes during the Eid week.

Currently, return tickets from Dubai to India and Pakistan average Dh900 to Dh1,500 depending on the airline and demand during the week.

Since people already know the expected dates of Ramadan and Eid, Avinash Adnani, managing director of Pluto Travels, also advised that it’s better to book it now because airfares could go up to Dh2,000 or even more on Dubai and Mumbai and popular routes closer to Eid dates.

“We are talking about fares at normal times. Since these are Covid times and there is less number of flights, the airfare may go up even higher. If you’re waiting for the last minute, you will have to pay more. Once Ramadan starts, prices tend to go up two-and-a-half times because flights are limited and a lot of people want to travel in that period,” he added.

Adnani hoped that India would open up regular flights before Eid in May which result in additional flights and more stable airfares.

“But if flights continue the way they’re, the airfares will increase because we are expecting good demand. If regular flights start before Eid, then more flights to be added and this will stabilise the rates. We are confident that India will start regular flights and airlines will be able to put more flights,” he added.

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Highlighting the challenges for the late bookings, the industry executives noted that not just airfare hikes but desirable dates to travel also becomes a major issue for passengers during peak travel dates such as Eid.

Shaik Shibli, head of Marketing at ITL World, said airfares definitely spike during Eid due to pent up demand.

“During Eid times, we also see outbound travel happening to places like Europe because European destinations like Austria and Switzerland are quite popular. Airfares to India and Pakistan will also go up definitely. With UAE lifting all quarantine requirements, this is one big boost for the travel industry and that’s why we’ll see a big jump in terms of bookings,” he added.