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Airfares to UAE soar for expats returning after vacation; some postpone travel

Families are opting to return in batches or later in September due to exorbitant ticket prices

Many residents are postponing their return from their vacations due to exorbitant airfares from the Indian subcontinent to the UAE, which is causing financial strain for them. Many UAE residents from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are currently facing a challenge to return. One expat from Pakistan was even forced to cancel the return plans twice as a result of an excessive rise in airfares.

Saleem Ahmed, a Pakistani national, went on annual leave in June. However, he had to delay his return for personal reasons.

When changing his return ticket, he was unfortunately advised by the travel agent to cancel it and claim a refund to buy a new ticket later. This decision has landed him in trouble now. He has been trying to book return tickets but it is costing him more than Rs100,000 (Dh1,277) for a one-way return ticket.

“I tried to book it twice, but the price was too high. When I checked airfares on Wednesday for a flight 10 days later from Lahore to Dubai, the one-way return ticket was more than Rs135,000 (Dh1,700). I used to pay around Dh1,100-Dh1,200 for return tickets. This is creating a massive hole in my purse. Since many families are turning to UAE after the school summer break, airfares have gone through the roof,” said Ahmed.

Many expats from India, the Philippines, and Bangladesh have faced similar difficulties.

Shaffa Shahid, a teacher at a school in Sharjah, was eagerly anticipating her and her family’s return to the UAE following a well-spent vacation in her hometown. However, her plans were disrupted when she noticed an unexpected increase in the airfares. The family had planned to return mid-August but was forced to cancel their plans when the price of the ticket almost quadrupled in a couple of days.

Shahid decided to delay their return for a few days, hoping that the airfare would reduce. But to their disappointment, the airfares continued to rise, causing her to abandon the revised plan. “Currently, the airfare from South Indian cities to the UAE is over Rs25,000 (Dh1,110) per head, and we are a family of 8 in total,” said Shahid.

“However, we have now decided to travel in groups. My older children will be leaving on August 28 along with my husband as they have school to attend. The younger ones will be travelling in the first week of September with me and will be losing a few days of their attendance at school,” added Shaffa.

Shamshuddin, a resident of Al Quoz in Dubai, said that he had booked his children’s return to the UAE for August 30. “I just got to know that my children’s school would reopen on August 28. I tried to rebook their tickets so that they wouldn’t miss out. However, the rates are just too high and I have no option but be okay with them missing classes.”

Travel industry experts have also raised concerns as they are unable to help their clients. “The airfare is over the roof. The airfare from [South Indian] cities is over Dh1,560. And most of [the clients] are travelling with their families. So it becomes difficult for them to afford,” said Taha Siddique from Siddique Travels.

Geoffrey Salatan, President and CEO, of Geoffrey Travel, said, “Airfare from the Philippines has surged prompting many to reconsider their travel plans. As the travel to the UAE is very high in demand, people who would want to come on visit are postponing their travel as well."

He also added that many residents have booked their round trips and as such are not worried about ticket prices.

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