Airfares from major Indian cities to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have nearly halved after a five-month high. One-way tickets from New Delhi to Dubai are now available for less than Rs 14,000, down from Rs 40,000 a month ago.
The India-UAE airfare crossed Rs 37,000 (1,814 Dirham) in December 2021, and it now costs around Rs 13,660 (Dirham 665) one way.
“In October, I had paid approximately Rs 45,000 for me and my infant for a commercial flight, so I am happy as price fares have dropped for my returning flight,” said Fatima, a woman who traveled to UAE in December.
As per official sources, the prices of the airlines increased drastically as the country opened doors for vaccinated residents. Further, UAE attracted tourists due to Expo 2020 Dubai. In October 2021, as per travel agents, one-way fare from Indian cities such as Hyderabad, Kozhikode, Kochi, Delhi were as high as Dirham 2,000 (Rs 40,373) near the departure date.
The Indian government exempted seven-day quarantine for international travellers from February 14. The pre-travel RT-PCR test, which is valid for 72 hours before departure, will remain mandatory for all international passengers. Scheduled international commercial passenger services in India have been suspended until February 28.
According to the country’s aviation authorities, flights under the air bubble arrangement would be unaffected.
In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, airlines began flying to new destinations to meet rising travel demand. Direct flights from Abu Dhabi to Kochi, Kozhikode, and Thiruvananthapuram have begun. Go First, an Indian low-cost carrier, now flies four times per week between Srinagar and Sharjah.