UAE visit visa extension: No spike in airfares even as flight booking demand jumps 300%

UAE visit visa extension: No spike in airfares even as flight booking demand jumps 300%

Flight bookings to the UAE's neighbouring countries have increased by up to 300 per cent — with all visa change flights running at 90 to 100 per cent capacity, Khaleej Times has learnt.

“There has been a sharp increase in the number of bookings for flights to countries around the UAE since the rules came into effect,” said Praveen Choudhary, managing director at Al Saffron Travel and Tourism LLC.

“Bookings have increased by more than 300 per cent and most of them are running at 90 per cent occupancy, if not fully booked. However, prices have not increased and may have even dropped slightly because several new special visa change flights have been introduced," Praveen told KT on Saturday.

The revised rules — which discontinued the option for visitors to extend their visas within the country — reportedly came into effect on Tuesday. Visit visa holders are now looking at different options to extend their stay in the UAE, including exiting the country by bus or on flights to change their visa status.

Raheesh Babu, chief operating officer of online travel agency Musafir.com, noted that there is a big demand for airport-to-airport visa change.

“We have seen a huge demand for airport-to-airport UAE visa extension,