Summer travel demand from UAE is up 156% – it could be more as many make last-minute plans

Summer travel demand from UAE is up 156% – it could be more as many make last-minute plans

Dubai: UAE and Middle East airlines are leaving all other regions trailing far behind when it comes to adding more flights to their networks, and hoping to bring forward a full return to profits earlier than was thought possible. Emirates airline, which launched a daily service to Tel Aviv last week, will be restarting services to London Stansted, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and Christchurch this year. Etihad Airways flew its first flight to Beijing since 2020 last Thursday (June 30) and will launch a weekly service to the destination from July 6. “As traveller confidence returns, we’ve witnessed a revival with pent-up demand turning into millions of travellers enjoying their longed for trips again,” said Ayoub El Mamoun, Global Social Media Manager, Skyscanner. The travel portal said that bookings from UAE for travel in July and August are up by 156 per cent compared to last year. Some of the top destinations are Manila, Cairo, Amman, Mumbai and Istanbul. In terms of flight capacity, North Africa and the Middle East were the fastest growing regional markets in the week ending June 27, with increases of over 75 per cent on the same week last year, according to aviation data