India-UAE airfares remain high despite gradual recovery in travel

India-UAE flight fares remain high despite gradual normalisation of operations, with return tickets on some routes reaching up to Dh4,114 for Kochi, according to travel operators cited by Khaleej Times.

Flights between India and the UAE are slowly stabilising, but ticket prices continue to stay significantly above usual levels. Travel agents told Khaleej Times fares are currently about 30 to 35% higher than normal for April, a period that is typically considered a low travel season.

Limited capacity and demand keep fares high

Travel operators said restricted seat availability and steady passenger demand are keeping prices elevated across key routes. They stated that while air connectivity is improving, not all sectors have fully returned to pre-disruption capacity levels.


According to agents, fares that were earlier in the range of Dh300 to Dh400 on some routes have now increased sharply. One-way tickets are currently priced between Dh1,300 and Dh1,800, depending on the route and timing, as quoted by Khaleej Times.

Kochi among most expensive routes

South Indian destinations, particularly Kochi, are seeing the highest fares. Operators said return tickets on this sector are rising up to Dh2,000 to Dh2,500 in many cases, with peak-date travel going even higher.

A travel operator told Khaleej Times that return fares to Kochi are going as high as Dh4,114 for travel around May 1. Mumbai and Delhi routes remain comparatively lower, with fares ranging between Dh1,000 and Dh1,500 on select dates.

They added that demand for travel between India and the UAE remains strong despite higher prices. They also said limited airline operations and reduced seat availability are key factors driving the fare increase.