UAE-India travel: Airfares set to hit $818 as Air India cancels, realigns flights

UAE-India travel: Airfares set to hit $818 as Air India cancels, realigns flights

UAE - Airfares on the UAE-India routes are set for a huge increase of around 300 per cent during peak summer months as the Indian national carriers cancelled flights to some busy routes last month.

Travel agents say that airlines have deployed smaller aircraft on the routes which has exacerbated the situation, resulting in an increase in airfares.

They called on the Indian government to allow more capacity on the UAE-India routes because it is the need of the hour due to the massive outbound traffic growth that the South Asian country is witnessing.

Starting March 25, Tata Group, which owns Air India and Air India Express, has started cancelling and realigning flights to different cities from the UAE including Kozhikode, Indore and Goa.

Tata Group took over Air India in January 2022 after winning a $2.17 billion bid and decided to realign routes that are commercially feasible for the new owner. Air India last month announced a plan to buy 220 planes from Boeing, and 250 from Airbus worth $70 billion, to upgrade its fleet and target long-haul routes.

TP Sudheesh, general manager of Deira Travels, said the decision to cancel flights and deploy smaller aircraft has impacted travellers negatively in the form of