Dubai: Airfares to popular destinations during Eid Al Fitr have remained stable with Dubai International restoring capacity next week, according to travel portal Cleartrip.
“Pricing seems to be pretty okay, it hasn’t taken a big jump. A lot of capacity is coming back on the market. I think the prices will more or less be stable,” Tarique Khatri, senior vice president of Business Development at Cleartrip, told Gulf News in a phone interview on Thursday.
Eid Al Fitr is a popular time to travel in the Middle East for both Muslims and non-Muslims, and is seen as time to visit friends and family as most of the region benefits from a government-declared holiday. Regionally, Egypt is a popular destination for travel this month as is Oman, Khatri said.
Airfares spiked by as much as 15 per cent over Ramadan, according to market experts, due to a combination of an increase in travel and reduced operations at Dubai International Airport, the region’s busiest airport.
Dubai International Airport closed its two runways consecutively for 80 days from May 1, resulting in a 26 per cent reduction in capacity. The airport is scheduled to return to full capacity from Monday, July 21, a week before Eid Al Fitr is expected to start.
“The opening of the northern runway and ramp up to a full schedule, when combined with the upcoming Eid holidays, will result in a significant surge in passenger numbers from July 21,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, on Thursday.
According to Khatri, Cairo is extremely popular, which he said, could be a mix of Egyptian expatriates returning home as well as tourists visiting the capital. Tourist destinations Alexandria and Sharm El Sheikh are also popular.
Thailand has seen a resurgence among travellers from the Gulf, however, Khatri said Phuket, and not Bangkok, is now the destination of choice for travellers. Bangkok has been the centre of unrest between royalists and pro-government supporters. The military has since taken control and declared Martial Law.
London and Paris, meanwhile, remain the most popular European destinations, ahead of Zurich and Vienna for Eid holiday travellers.
Khatri said Australia has also been very popular with bookings to Melbourne and Sydney. Emirates is in the second year of its partnership with Australian airline Qantas.
United States destinations Las Vegas, Orlando and Los Angeles have seen an increase in searches and bookings for the Eid week, however, not as high as some of the other destinations. Neither Las Vegas nor Orlando are served directly by any of the big three Gulf airlines.
