UAE - Now is the perfect time to travel as airfares from the UAE to the Indian subcontinent have dropped to their lowest level this year. A one-way ticket could cost as low as Dh300.

Travel agents noted that the 'attractive' ticket prices comes as summer's peak travel season ends.

However, fares are expected to increase later this month ahead of the holiday season in India. They are set to peak by the middle of next month, around the Hindu festival Diwali which will be celebrated from October 24.

Avinash Adnani, managing director of Pluto Travels, said air traffic between the UAE and the Indian subcontinent is currently very low as most people have already returned to their destinations after the summer break.

“This is the best time to travel to India. A one-way ticket costs around Dh300 to certain Indian cities, while return tickets are at around Dh1,000. The next 15 days are good for travel as airfares are at the lowest level of the year,” said Adnani.

Meanwhile, one-way airfare from Dubai to the Pakistani city of Karachi currently costs less than Dh400.

Spike in fares expected soon

Adnani revealed that airfares to India will start increasing from the end of September ahead of the festive season, and reach their peak around the middle of October.

“Airfares will come down and stabilise again in mid-November. After that, the airfares will stay on the higher side due to National Day and the year-end holiday season,” he added.

Raja Mir Wasim, manager of Galadari International Travel Services, said that compared to airfares in the last two pandemic years, current prices are still high. At that time, the demand was low due to Covid-related restrictions and residents were also wary of getting stranded abroad.

“Airfares are on the lower side compared to peak seasons, but they’re still on the higher side when compared to the previous two years. It’s a good time to travel. Travel and airfares will pick up again during the UAE National Day holidays as UAE residents are planning and gearing up for the next long break,” Wasim said.

Top travel markets for the UAE

India and Pakistan are the two major source markets for the UAE's travel and tourism industry. According to Abu Dhabi Airports, the top two countries in terms of passenger volumes during the first half of 2022 were India (1.28 million) and Pakistan (485,000).

Similarly, India remained Dubai International Airport’s top destination country by passenger numbers, with traffic for the first half reaching four million passengers — driven primarily by top city destinations such as Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad. Pakistan, on the other hand, was among the top 10 destinations with 1.7 million passengers.

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