Airfares in UAE could drop, say travel agents after temporary restrictions lifted

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As the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has lifted restrictions on the country's airspace, airline ticket prices to and from the UAE are likely to drop slightly, according to travel agents. They said the move would bring in more flights and cut airline expenses, thus increasing travel appetite.

"From February 28, when UAE imposed restrictions on its airspace, all scheduled flights were cancelled and only special flights were operational," explained Sudheesh TP, General Manager of Deira Travels. "During this time, each airline had to take special permits to operate."

He added that because it was effectively wartime conditions, airlines had to pay very high insurance rates. "Now that GCAA has removed the restrictions, the insurance charges will reduce as well as it indicates that there is no uncertainty or danger while operating in the country’s airspace."

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On Sunday, the GCAA announced that air traffic in the country's airspace had returned to normal after approximately two months. The authority said the decision followed a comprehensive assessment of operational and security conditions.

More flights, lower prices

According to Noushad Hassan, MD of Alhind Business Center, the move will increase the number of flights to each airport. "Ever since the restrictions began, airlines were only allowed to operate one flight per destination," he said. "With the removal of the restriction, airlines can now operate multiple flights to all destinations, causing a sharp increase in the number of seats."

He gave the example of flights to Kozhikode in southern India. "While restrictions were in place, there were a total of 200 seats to this destination. Now, the number has increased to over 2,000 seats. This will definitely bring prices down."

Raheesh Babu, COO of Musafir.com, called the move "good news" for travellers. "Ever since the US-Israel-Iran war began, every airline had to secure special permission to operate flights. Now, all those restrictions have been removed and airlines can operate at full capacity."

Sudheesh added that airlines can now better plan their rosters. "During these two months, permits were granted only 2-3 days in advance. Most airlines were on a special schedule that could change at any time. Now they will operate as per previous allocations, which removes uncertainty and gives them better confidence to operate in the region."