Dubai: Emirates airline has launched discounted fares to fly to a handful of tourist destinations from Dubai, which include Maldives, Seychelles, Amman, Istanbul and Moscow. The special rates are available from today (March 8) until March 18, 2021, for travel until June 15, 2021.
Emirates and other regional carriers have to focus on other routes after flights between Dubai and London were halted late last year. “The loss of flights to the UK has had an impact of a couple of 100,000 passengers a month - but other markets have compensated for that,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports in an interview last month.
“It will be a slow and difficult few months, but I think in the latter half of the year, we should be seeing some positive and steady recovery.”
Maldives
It is no surprise that Maldives has found a way to the Emirates’ list – the island country emerged as a top tourist spot for UAE’s residents during the pandemic. A one-way economy class ticket to Maldives will cost Dh3,495, while business will be Dh8,555.
“Cairo and Maldives have really moved up the ladder, with Cairo first in number of seats now, compared to 10th last year in the first quarter,” said George Ferguson, Senior Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. “Maldives was 23rd largest market last year and now fifth in terms of seats. Like in many markets, sunny destinations with the least restrictions are getting the most flights.”
Seychelles
Seychelles is not that far behind Maldives in terms of popularity. Emirates is offering tickets for as little as Dh3,495 and business costs Dh9,955.
Istanbul
Turkey’s capital Istanbul has also made it to the list, with its multiple heritage sites continuing to pull in tourists. Economy fares start from Dh1,595, while business class will cost Dh9,995.
Moscow
Given the large Russian expatriate population here in UAE, flights to Moscow have traditionally seen many takers. Economy class seats start from Dh2,355, and for business the airline is charging Dh9,995.
Amman
Jordan’s capital is another tourist location with a number of heritage sites. A one-way ticket starts at Dh1,995; business will cost Dh6,995
Packages
Emirates confirmed that travellers can also plan their beach or city getaway with Emirates Holidays, starting from Dh1,699 per person.
