Ramadan 2023: Airfares from UAE to India, UK, Philippines see spikes from first week itself

Ramadan 2023: Airfares from UAE to India, UK, Philippines see spikes from first week itself

Dubai: Airfares from the UAE will turn out to be costlier from the initial week of from a year ago, with trips to India, the UK and the Philippines already showing 10-25 per cent rate jump. Typically, the first two weeks of Ramadan are usually on the slower side in terms of flight demand and then builds up significantly right through to the Eid holidays. This year, there is a change. One reason could be that this year’s Ramadan will also be the time for school breaks, and that means demand for travel is in for an instant spike. It sure is reflected in the ticket rates. Round-trip Economy tickets from UAE to India rose from Dh990 to Dh1,316 (for travel from March 21 to March 30) compared to Dh935-Dh1,018 last year. Booking a flight to Manila would mean paying Dh2,728 compared to Dh1,960 in 2019. Similarly, travel to the UK, the US, and popular European destinations will have similar hikes compared to March 2022. In fact, fares have jumped by 15 per cent compared to this month (February), said Hemali Shah, Managing Director of City One Tourism and Travel. “Fares from the UAE to various destinations are becoming expensive,”