Dubai and Abu Dhabi flight ticket prices to stay sky high this summer

Lack of supply and rising jet fuel prices mean tickets are up to 50 per cent costlier on some routes

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  Visitors at the Dubai stand on the third day of the Arabian Travel Market held at Dubai World Trade Centre. Pawan Singh / The National

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  Visitors at the Etihad stand. Pawan Singh / The National

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  A Flynas advertisement on the first day of Arabian Travel Market.

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  The Iraq stand. Pawan Singh / The National

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  Visitors at the Qatar stand on the first day of Arabian Travel Market.

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  Visitors at the Rotana stand. Pawan Singh / The National

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  Children's toys on display at the Emirates stand. Pawan Singh / The National

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  The Neom stand. Pawan Singh / The National

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  The Armani stand. Pawan Singh / The National

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  The Flynas stand. Pawan Singh / The National

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  Performers dance at the Saudi Arabia stand on the second day of the Arabian Travel Market. Pawan Singh / The National

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  Visitors take photos at the flydubai stand. Pawan Singh / The National

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  The Jordan stand. Pawan Singh / The National

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  The second day of Arabian Travel Market welcomed visitors from around the world. Pawan Singh / The National

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  The event is considered a bellwether for the travel industry in the Middle East, offering an insight into the trends that will shape the year ahead. Pawan Singh / The National

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  A total of 112 countries looking to revive their tourism numbers will be featured on the exhibition's show floor, from Japan to Jamaica and South Africa to Italy. Pawan Singh / The National

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  People visit the South Africa stand at the Arabian Travel Market. Pawan Singh / The National

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  A model of the Airbus A350-1000 at the Etihad stand on the first day of Arabian Travel Market held at Dubai World Trade Centre. All photos: Pawan Singh/The National

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  More than 1,500 exhibiting companies are taking part in the four-day tourism showcase that will welcome about 20,000 visitors.

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  Travel and tourism are starting to show signs of recovery from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, with many companies starting to ramp up their recruitment as countries reopen their borders.

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  Staff from Al Ain Zoo showing some birds and reptiles at the Abu Dhabi stand.

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  Saudi Arabia has a major presence at this year's Arabian Travel Market, including representatives from Neom, the kingdom's $500 billion futuristic mega city.

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  Arabian Travel Market is considered a bellwether for the travel industry in the Middle East, offering an insight into trends for the year ahead.

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  Emirates airline launched its premium economy cabin at Arabian Travel Market.

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  The Abu Dhabi stand at Arabian Travel Market was busy on the first day of the event.

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  Artists showcasing handmade items at the Abu Dhabi stand.

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  Staff from Al Ain Zoo introduce visitors to birds at the Abu Dhabi stand.

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  Etihad Airways showcasing its economy class seats at Arabian Travel Market.

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  The soaring price of oil and the impact of the war in Ukraine are tempering the travel industry's expected resurgence.

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  Staff from Al Ain Zoo show visitors reptiles at the Abu Dhabi stand.

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  The Darina holidays stand on the first day of Arabian Travel Market held at Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai.

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  Visitors at the Brussels stand.

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  Visitors at the Maldives stand.

Travellers need to book summer holidays as soon as possible or risk paying higher prices, experts say.

A lack of supply as airlines get back on their feet after the effects of the pandemic, coupled with increasing jet fuel prices, are the chief reasons for the continuing increase in flight costs.

Experts estimated that the average airline fare had increased by up to 30 per cent from pre-pandemic prices, but that can vary from airline to airline.

For example, the lowest price of a direct Emirates airline return flight from Dubai to London, returning a fortnight later in mid-June, is Dh2,765, according to the airline’s website.

Some airlines are charging close to Dh4,000 for a flight to London.

If you haven’t booked a summer trip already then you really should get on it

Ross Veitch,
Wego

A return trip from Dubai to Mumbai in mid-June is available from Dh1,455 with Emirates. The average cost of direct flights from the UAE to India is up 22 per cent from the same period in 2019, according to Amosafer.

A trip to Manila during the same period starts at Dh2,150 on Etihad Airways' website. Direct flights to the Philippines from the UAE have jumped 53 per cent since 2019, according to the same data source.

The higher prices are expected to continue until at least July or August when airlines will be in a position to increase their supply to cope with the demand from travellers keen to make up for time lost in the pandemic.

Top destinations for UAE travellers - in pictures

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  1. Dubai topped the list of destinations for UAE travellers. All photos: Unsplash

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  2. Abu Dhabi ranks second.

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  3. Switzerland is the international destination UAE travellers have the highest impression of.

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  4. Singapore was the second-top international destination in the YouGov survey.

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  5. Fifth-ranked Canada.

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  6. The Maldives ranked sixth overall, and the fourth-best international destination.

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  7. Still tightly sealed to tourists, Japan is the seventh most coveted destination for UAE residents.

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  8. The UK may drop passenger locator forms for foreign travellers in April.

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  9. Germany scored 23.2 in the survey.

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  10. South Korea rounded up the list with a score of 21.8.

“At the moment there is a bit of a mismatch because there is much more demand than supply,” Ross Veitch, chief executive of travel company Wego, told The National.

“Airlines are also passing on the increased cost of fuel to customers as they make up for a rough couple of years.

“They are making hay while the sun is shining.”

Mr Veitch, on the sidelines of this week's Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, said the supply issues will take some time to resolve.

“Supply is constrained because airlines took a lot of services offline due to the pandemic,” he said.

“It takes time to bring that level of service back as many staff were laid off or furloughed and airlines have been understandably cautious about bringing back supply.

“Planes that have not been flown in some time need to be recertified, as do pilots.”

Risk missing out

Mr Veitch advised travellers to book holidays for the summer as soon as possible or risk missing out.

“If you haven’t booked a summer trip already, then you really should get on it,” he said.

“If you don’t then you may struggle to find something because of the increased demand.

“I’ve been trying to book flights to Europe for work myself and it’s been really tough.”

Tarique Khatri, executive vice president for Seera, a travel company based in the Mena region, said the increased cost of fuel has played a significant part in the increased airline prices.

Ross Veitch, chief executive and founder of Wego, said supply is constrained because airlines took a lot of services offline because of the pandemic. Pawan Singh / The National

The price of jet fuel, which represents most airlines' single biggest cost, has soared 146 per cent year on year, according to airline trade body Iata, with the global average cost of a barrel of oil reaching more than $160 last month.

“The increase in fuel prices has had a direct impact on the cost of airline tickets,” Mr Khatri said.

“The other factor is airlines are not back yet to full capacity, which is causing seating availability to be limited.”

He predicted the increased cost of travel would continue well into the summer months.

“The demand is clearly back so it’s a question of supply being able to match that,” Mr Khatri said.

“I expect we’ll see supply begin to settle down around July or August, which means prices should begin to ease then.

“If the prices get to the point where they are too high then the airlines will be left with a load of empty seats, which is not something they want to happen.”

Mr Khatri estimated that flight costs in the region were close to 30 per cent higher on average than in the same period in 2019, before the pandemic struck.

One trend to emerge is travellers booking more connecting flights than before, to reduce costs and get around the lack of available seats on direct trips.

“We are seeing more people getting connecting flights with stopovers of about two or three hours,” he said.

“That is because prices are high, and fewer seats are available, on direct flights.

"We're seeing a lot more people booking Emirates and Etihad flights with short stopovers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi than before."