Airfares set to increase as summer school break nears

 

DUBAI:

Ahead of the summer school break in the UAE, airfares to the Indian subcontinent and the United Kingdom, will skyrocket, according to travel industry sources,

Airfares started rising from February-March to Asia, the Middle East and the UK. The travel industry has traditionally seen a spurt in fares during the summer holidays and Eid holidays. Fares to popular cities such as London are set to double during the peak summer travel days and during Eid Al Adha.

Air India has added some flights on the UAE route during the summer, providing temporary stability on certain days.

Travel peaks during the summer holidays when schools are closed, pushing airfares substantially higher. During summer breaks, Indian curriculum schools are usually closes in the first week of July. Since Eid Al Adha is likely to fall on June 28, some schools may choose to close a week or so early. British schools are closed from June onwards till the last week of August or 1st week of September.

 

Over the past few years, short-haul destinations such as East European and CIS countries have been in top demand for travel and tourism among UAE residents.

 

An industry source said that people have started booking early and airfares started increasing from February-March onwards on the Indian Sub-continent and European routes because Eid is also falling at the beginning of the vacation, hence, schools may close early this year.

He said that rates are rising because there are no additional seats allocated during summer and airlines are making the most of this seasonal advantage. There is increased traffic to South India because of the Onam festival in August.

Airfares to India are steady at the moment as the carrier has added some more flights.