Airline ticket price alert: UAE-India routes buzz with demand even as summer airfares rise 10-25% over 2019

Airline ticket price alert: UAE-India routes buzz with demand even as summer airfares rise 10-25% over 2019

Dubai: Expat Indians in the UAE thinking of traveling back to the home country this summer should start making those bookings now, with tickets expected to cost 10-25 per cent more than even 2019 levels. Airlines are charging around Dh700-Dh900 one-way for Mumbai-Dubai flights. But fares are seen almost quadrupling to about Dh2,600 in June. A flight connecting the South Indian city of Kochi to Dubai costs around Dh1,000 now, but will be Dh1,500 and above starting next month. Those planning to travel Dubai-Delhi will be relieved to know that as of now, rates for mid-June are only from Dh1,200 compared with Dh500-Dh1,000 now. A one-way flight ticket from New Delhi to Dubai can cost anywhere between Dh500-Dh1,000 right now. Fares on the route are seen going above Dh1,200 in mid-June. A surge in fuel prices due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict coupled with not enough capacity to meet demand on the UAE-India have led to airfares already firming up quite a bit in recent weeks. Although airlines have announced plans to ramp up capacity on the route - among the world's busiest - it might be a while before seats available go back to pre-pandemic levels. "The prices are definitely