2 months' salary on one trip? UAE residents hit by 300% surge in flight tickets

28/05/2025 01:58 AST

As summer travel demand surges, many UAE residents could find themselves spending up to two months' salary just to fly home, with airfares to popular destinations skyrocketing, according to travel experts.

Ticket prices to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Philippines have surged by up to 300 per cent compared to off-peak months, and families are feeling the pinch.

"An employee earning Dh5,000 to Dh7,000 a month may have to spend Dh10,000 to Dh14,000 just for return air tickets for a family of four," said Subair Thekepurathvalappil, senior manager at Wisefox Tourism. "That is up to two months salary gone before you even land."

Even for those earning Dh15,000 monthly, a summer trip could eat up their entire salary. "If someone is flying out with their spouse and two kids, they are looking at return fares of Dh12,000 to Dh14,000 for direct flights to Indian cities," said Subair.

"Budget carriers, which usually offer relief for many residents taking short flights, are also selling seats for over Dh10,000 for a family of four," added Subair.

According to a Khaleej Times analysis, return airfares on budget airlines from the UAE to major Indian cities during the peak summer now range between Dh2,100 and Dh2,800. A round-trip ticket to Mumbai on Air India Express is priced at Dh2,250, while a return fare to Kochi on IndiGo shows around Dh2,650. Similarly, flights to Delhi on budget airlines are averaging about Dh2,450.

Similarly, return airfares from the UAE to Cairo are currently affordable. A round-trip from Dubai to Cairo on EgyptAir is available for approximately Dh1,200. Similarly, Air Arabia offers return tickets on the same route starting at around Dh1,300.

According to travel agents, some one-way tickets to Indian cities were available for under Dh500 a month ago. Today, fares for the same routes in early June have shot up to Dh1,500, a threefold jump. For return travel in August, prices are crossing Dh1,400. "Prices to almost all eastern destinations have doubled, and we are seeing similar trends for Europe and the Philippines," Subair added.

"Airfares have started climbing steeply from June 5 onwards," said Mir Waseem Raja, manager at Galadari International Travel Services. "This is mainly because the Eid Al Adha holidays coincide with the school summer break this year. The combination of both has created a surge in travel demand, pushing prices up."

"The demand is so high that many flights on popular routes are already fully booked, especially for South Asian countries. Even seats on budget carriers are being booked quickly, leaving limited options for last-minute travellers," added Raja.

Destinations like Kochi, Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Dhaka, and Lahore are seeing the steepest increases. "Round tickets that used to cost Dh700 to Dh1,000 are now over Dh2,500," said Subair.

Travel aggregators said that fares to North America have remained relatively stable due to more routing options and layovers. "There are several budget-friendly options for travelling to the US and Canada, like layovers in Europe. We can also see a surge in airfare to even some European cities," said Subair.