UAE-India fares drop 80% to major cities; travellers to tier-2 destinations pay more

Dubai: Following an increase in airfares during the busy festive December period and peak winter travel, India-UAE air ticket fares have decreased to Dh1,000 or lower for Economy class.

Normally, the off-peak season runs from January until the middle of April, and the aforementioned is not an exception. Fares to India’s tier-2 cities, however, are considerably higher. For instance, tickets to Jaipur cost Dh1,128, Varanasi Dh1,755 and Indore Dh1,235, all above Dh1,000. Meanwhile, fares to Mumbai and Delhi stay within the Dh1,000 limit between mid-January and early February: Dh753 and Dh900 respectively.

Rashid Abbas, Managing Director of Arooha Travels states that, Although booking trends for flights to smaller cities are not that demanding during the off-season, travelers may need to budget a bit more for their trips during that time.

“Even those planning on that trip can purchase last-minute tickets to Delhi for Dh850 (to Mumbai) and Dh1,100 (to Kochi),” says Rashid Abbas, the managing director of Arooha Travels, Here, he shows that the last weekend in January (24-28) marks the perfect opportunity for traveling to India.

During the December break, I couldn’t find any flights costing less than Dh 2500, Abbas said. However, these new changes in fare are highly beneficial for passengers who wish to save money and travel in off-peak months, he noted.

A Comparison of the Most and Least Expensive Cities Segment

Most Indian cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru can be accessed at Dh1,000 or a little more and as stated by travel agents, this is quite affordable Economy fare. As pointed out by Mehar Sawlani, Director of Sales at Richmond Gulf Travels, it is wise to buy tickets for quarter two immediately because the chances of really low fares will be minimal at that point in time. Mehar noted, “For the period in late February to March, pricing for tickets drops to Dh 813 for flights to Mumbai.

Travel agents say that the stable rates are likely to continue until the beginning of April even though these months are considered in the UAE to be high for inbound tourism traffic.

Why Tier 2 Cities are Costly?

According to Mr. Afi Ahmed,  Chairman  in Smart Travels, “Most full service airlines, including Air India, don’t provide their services to almost all smaller Indian cities, they stopped operating the region airborne sector in 2022. Currently catering to tier 2 cities are low cost carriers such as Air India Express, IndiGo and SpiceJet. Due to this the available flight time to these cities are limited to only one or two maximum flights a day which leads to higher fares to travel.” His view on fares in case of air transportation for tier 2 cities is this. 

As for tier 2 cities where travel cost might be higher than normal includes Chennai, Nagpur, Goa, Jaipur and Kolkata with Dh 1480, Dh 1385, Dh 1286, Dh 1583 and Dh 1480.

With highest demand in the South sector, price range is Dhs 1,000-Dhs 1,500, whereas for immediate travel it lies in Dhs 900 range for other regions. Priced set for Kochi, Mangalore, Chennai and Bengaluru ranges between Dhs 1,125, Dhs 1,380, D1,086 and Dh 1,158 respectively. In December 2024, fares went up to ideal highs of Dh1,900 to Dh3,100 but currently, these rates are significantly lower than those. 

Don’t miss out: Now is the time to make your reservation for direct routes from India to the major UAE cities as the fares have decreased by about 80%. For tier 2 regions expect more than normal fares but do book your tickets well in advance. 

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