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Dubai: Indian expatriates residing in the UAE and planning to celebrate Diwali in their home country should act quickly in booking their flight tickets. Airfares to most cities in India have already increased by 15 to 20 per cent compared to the rates in October. As the Diwali festival, which falls on November 12 this year, approaches closer, airfares are expected to further escalate, particularly during the first week of November.

According to Rashid Abbas, Managing Director of Arooha Travels, airfares to India had significantly dropped after the summer highs. Return airfares were available for Dh780 to Dh1,100 to most destinations in India from September until the second week of October due to lower demand. However, with the start of the Dussehra festivities, fares have begun to steadily climb. Families are now traveling to India for weeklong getaways during the festive season, resulting in an increase in airfares.

In order to save on costs, some travelers are opting for layover flights to other Indian airports instead of direct flights. For example, instead of taking a direct Dubai-Bengaluru flight, they are choosing to have a layover at Delhi, which offers fares at least Dh700 cheaper. The choice between a layover flight and a direct flight depends on the duration of the layover. If it’s a short layover of one to two hours, passengers immediately book the layover option. However, if the layover time exceeds four hours, they prefer to choose direct flights.

Airfares to major transit hubs in India, such as Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Varanasi, Kannur, Jaipur, and Surat, have doubled compared to October prices. Basheer Mohammed, the general manager of Europe Travel and Tours, explained that transit hubs like Bengaluru and Chennai have historically displayed higher airfares despite the availability of direct flights. Although Emirates operates three daily flights to Bengaluru, the capacities on these flights consistently average around 75 per cent as most passengers have connecting flights to European and US destinations. Bengaluru and Chennai are major IT hubs in India, housing the headquarters of several US-based conglomerates.

The current airfares from the UAE to Bengaluru between November 6 and November 15 range from Dh1,550 (IndiGo) to Dh1,820 (Emirates). However, these fares are expected to increase by 15 to 20 per cent in the coming days, according to Mohammed. In comparison, return Economy fares for this sector from September to October averaged around Dh1,100.

Destinations with limited flight frequencies also exhibit high fares compared to places with direct connections to the UAE. For instance, an Emirates flight to Kolkata from November 6 to 15 commands a substantial fare of Dh3,255. Similarly, flights to Ahmedabad are averaging Dh1,740 despite the availability of direct services by low-cost carriers like IndiGo and SpiceJet.

Airfares during the festive season are expected to remain high until the first week of January 2024. According to Wasim Ansari of Travel Square Tourism, fares will steadily climb and range from Dh1,800 to Dh2,800 until the end of the winter festive season. This is due to the busy season ahead, with events like the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and COP28 expected to attract a substantial increase in inbound travel.

India continues to be the biggest source market for Dubai, with 18 per cent of Dubai’s visitors coming from the South Asian region, according to the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism.