India-UAE Diwali, Dussehra flights: Fares from Dh945 as demand picks up

Dubai: UAE-based Indian travellers planning to fly home for Dussehra and Diwali can still find relatively affordable airfares, with demand beginning to pick up ahead of the festive season and travel agents expecting prices to rise from mid-October.

Dussehra falls on October 20 this year, followed by Diwali on November 8, traditionally one of the busiest periods for India-bound travel from the UAE as expatriates return home to celebrate with family.

For travel between October 19 and November 9, fares from Dubai to several major Indian cities are currently below Dh1,500, according to fares checked for the period.

A Dubai-Mumbai ticket is available from about Dh1,072, while Dubai-New Delhi is around Dh1,439. Fares to Kochi start at about Dh1,042, Bengaluru at Dh945 and Hyderabad at Dh1,017.

However, travellers heading to some tier-two Indian cities are facing considerably higher fares because of lower flight frequencies.

Dubai-Varanasi, for example, is priced at about Dh2,303, while Dubai-Jaipur fares are around Dh1,426 for the period checked.

Sharjah fares

Travellers flying from Sharjah also have relatively affordable options on Air Arabia.

Fares from Sharjah to Mumbai are around Dh1,072, while Sharjah-Bengaluru starts at about Dh945. Sharjah-Chennai is around Dh1,205, Sharjah-Kochi about Dh1,042 and Sharjah-Tiruchirapalli around Dh1,370.

Airfares can change according to availability, travel dates and booking timing, with fares to major Indian cities typically rising as the festive travel period approaches.

Bookings healthy

Air India said bookings for the upcoming festive and winter period were looking healthy, with some last-minute booking activity already visible.

“Bookings are looking healthy,” said PP Singh, regional manager for Gulf, Middle East and Africa at Air India, adding that the airline was hopeful about the winter period.

Singh said the airline was also seeing last-minute booking activity and expected stronger numbers through October and November.

Air India's winter schedule runs from October 26 through the end of March. During the winter schedule, Air India and Air India Express together are due to operate 272 weekly flights between India and the UAE, subject to destination-level frequencies.

Of those, 54 weekly flights will be operated by Air India, with the remaining services operated by Air India Express, Singh said.

He added that Air India had returned to operating at 100 per cent of its entitlement under the India-UAE bilateral air services agreement since the US-Iran war broke out in February.

Expat demand

Travel agents said the festive period remains important for Indian expatriates, although the timing of demand varies between outbound and inbound travel.

Sapna Aidasani, marketing director and head of marketing at Pluto Travels, said travel among Indian expatriates remained robust.

“Expats in Dubai, there is no change in their routine – they are flying,” Sapna said. She said enquiries for Dussehra and Diwali group travel were picking up, while enquiries for Christmas and New Year were already strong.

“Fares are also affordable,” she said, adding that last-minute bookings were expected and that prices could rise from mid-October.

Aidasani said travellers from markets such as Gujarat and Mumbai were among those expected to travel during the festive period. She also pointed to the wedding season following Diwali as another source of demand for India-bound travel.

UAE-bound travel

The festive period does not necessarily translate into a surge in India-to-UAE travel, as UAE schools and universities do not generally have a Diwali holiday.

Mehar Sawlani, director of sales at Richmond Gulf Tourism, said Indian travel into the UAE remained healthy as Dubai entered its peak tourism season. “Indians are still OK and willing to travel,” Sawlani said.

She said the Indian market was recovering after the uncertainty earlier in the year, although it had not returned to pre-war levels.

“People have understood that the UAE is safe,” Mehar said, while noting that some uncertainty remained. She expects inbound demand from India to strengthen during the winter season.

Prices to rise?

For travellers planning to return to India for the festivals, travel agents said there is still a window to book before the traditional last-minute price increases.

Sapna said many travellers were expected to book closer to departure, but warned that fares could rise from the middle of October as availability tightens.

With Indian carriers restoring their UAE capacity and airlines adding connectivity, travellers have more options than during periods of disruption earlier this year. But demand for specific cities — particularly those with fewer daily flights — can still push fares sharply higher.