UAE residents regain summer travel confidence as they await full airspace reopening

Dubai: Following Tuesday’s developments, where Israel and Iran agreed to a fragile ceasefire after 12 days of intense fighting, Dubai residents are keen to reclaim their summer plans.

Many with summer travel plans eagerly await the full reopening of Iranian and Iraqi airspaces to embark on their months-long vacations, said travel agents.

The sentiment among travel agents indicates a significant shift from the concern felt just days ago when Qatar was attacked. This was followed by heightened tensions that saw airspace closures and widespread flight disruptions across the region, including the UAE.

“Rebooking has already begun; people feel like this issue is over, and life is returning to normal," said Afi Ahmed, Chairman of Smart Travels. "They are feeling a bit stress-free. Until yesterday, people were apprehensive, but now we're getting normal calls, and travel bookings are flooding back in.”

While airspace restrictions have been partially lifted over Israel and Iran, commercial flights are resuming airspace has since officially reopened to international traffic after a 12-day closure. However, travel remains subject to heightened caution and route adjustments by many airlines. Many UAE carriers are yet to resume operations.

Dubai's Emirates reported a minimum impact on operations and said it ferried 1.2 million people over the past two weeks. flydubai also announces a phased resumption of operations, with flights to Damascus from Dubai starting July 1.

The impact on bookings, while present, was not catastrophic either. "We didn't have a lot of cancellations, and since people have understood that only if the airline cancels the flight would they get refunds," Ahmed said, noting that only a small percentage (2-5 per cent) of travellers cancelled their flights. Many remained hopeful, retaining their tickets. The cancellations primarily affected outbound travel to Middle East destinations from the UAE. “Demand to that sector has dried up. However, South Asian and Southeast Asian destinations are picking up steam,” said Ahmed

Rashid Abbas, Managing Director of Arooha Travels, said, “People are pleased; they were scared their summer vacation might not happen. Many people who thought they would cancel their plans have started calling with inquiries."

Consequently, popular travel destinations have seen a shift. Countries like Vietnam, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and other Indian Ocean destinations have become particularly attractive due to their unaffected flight paths.

Conversely, demand for packages to Egypt and Jordan has significantly dropped, indicating continued apprehension about travel to areas closer to the immediate conflict zone.

Abbas noted a strong interest in visa-on-arrival destinations such as Georgia, Armenia, Baku, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. "People are going ahead with their travel plans. There is no issue; after yesterday, people felt relieved, and now they’re planning their travels."

However, challenges remain for European travel. Schengen visa slot availability remains a significant hurdle, pushing European bookings to September and beyond. "People want to go to Europe; there was a lot of demand," Ahmed said. "But you have to plan six months. If they have plans for December, they will start thinking about it in September, but the slots are usually filled by then." This often leads to last-minute attempts, which are increasingly complex.

Sapna Aidasani, Head of Marketing and Public Relations at Pluto Travels, confirmed the ongoing travel trends. "People are still travelling. The diaspora crowd is returning to India. We have clients flying on Thursday on Emirates." She acknowledged that while some airlines, like Air India, had temporarily suspended operations on certain routes, others are still flying.

“A group wanted to go to Uzbekistan, but the current constraints make it harder to fly on those routes. People are flying to London, though some flights got cancelled. Far East destinations like Thailand, Bali, and Vietnam are popular." She added that some international carriers, like Air Canada, have stopped operations for a month on specific routes, highlighting a mixed picture of resumed and suspended services.