Dh555 UAE-India airfare: Travellers can cut costs by half
While airfares from the UAE to India may seem high at first glance, travelling on particular dates and forgoing flights at peak times can save travellers more than 50 per cent. With prices changing from day to day, residents said that even a brief delay or booking in advance could reduce ticket prices by more than half.
On March 22, several airline booking platforms show such a sharp fall in fares across UAE–India routes if travel is pushed seven to 10 days ahead.
For example, when writing this report, immediate travel fares from Dubai to Mumbai are sitting around Dh1,400 and Dh1,560 but that route fell at one point for April 3 down to as low as Dh525.
Dubai to Hyderabad, tickets that cost between Dh1,400 and Dh1,600 for the next few days dropped to about Dh555 for later dates.
One-way Dubai to Delhi fares ranged from Dh1,700 to Dh2,000 for near term departures, compared to around Dh735 on April 3.
A similar trend is now also being witnessed on southern routes. Fares from Dubai to Bengaluru, which were over Dh1,500 for travel in the immediate future, fell to around Dh755 for April 3.
Dubai to Kochi tickets, however, continued to be higher, commanding prices of Dh1,600-Dh1,700 even for later dates — a sign of persistent demand in the segment.
The fare for immediate travel on this sector varies between Dh2,500 and Dh3,800.
Data that supports delaying travel by even a week in order to save a big chunk of change.
For some residents, the wait for the right window has been rewarded. Faisal Sawda, an Abu Dhabi-based marketing executive, said he decided to postpone his travel plans after seeing expensive fares for immediate departures. “Prices for the following three to four days were about Dh1,200 but when I checked a week later, it was lower at Dh648,” he said.
Because it was a light day at the office, Faisal decided to work from home as he prepared for his trip. “Well, I am on my annual leave now and going to India for one month. I used that additional time to finish my work and do my shopping instead of making an expensive booking” he added.
And some residents said that booking early allowed them to escape the price surge entirely. Dubai resident Syed Bassam, who visited Bengaluru recently, said he got a better deal because of the planning. “I purchased my ticket on March 11 for travel on March 23 paying Dh740,” he said. “When I searched for fares between March 12 and March 18, they were quite a bit higher.”
Post-Eid travel demand is fueling this pattern, travel agents said. “During Eid, many residents did not travel due to high fares. They now want to book later dates when prices are lower,” said Mir Wasim Raja, manager at Galadari International Travel Services.
But he said the gap between last-minute and advance bookings is still big. “We are seeing some sectors where there is a difference of more than Dh600 between tickets purchased shortly” and those booked a week or so in advance,” he said.
Travellers are now divided into two camps, Raja says. “Those with flexible plans are trying to hold off and travel later to save money, while those who need to fly now are paying higher fares,” he said.
On whether rates will become stable, he said the matter is still fluid. “We are currently privy to the same information as residents, which is very uncommon. The pricing trend will be more clear in weeks ahead, and everyone will know it,” he added.
For now, the travellers said, the lesson is clear: timing is everything. Sometimes a difference of just a few days can shave money off airfare, so early planning — or minor flexibility — is the key to saving cash.
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