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Dubai: Pakistani expats flying to the UAE for the Eid al-Fitr holiday this week saw fares as high as Dh8,000 one-way on some flights.
Flights from Dubai to Karachi on most airlines cost around Dh1,000-Dh2,000, while Emirates costs more than Dh3,000. Lahore, which has fewer direct flights to Dubai, sees similar ticket prices, while Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) fares range from AED 1,800 to AED 2,000.
While fare hikes are standard during the busiest summer travel phase, the UAE-Pakistan route is even higher this time around. “Most of the economy seats are sold out, and only higher-priced seats are now available,” said a South Travels DMCC agent. “There will be some respite by the end of the month, but full normal fares won’t be restored until the end of September.”
flydubai – which operates flights to Faisalabad, Karachi, Multan, Quetta and Sialkot – said its services to the country had returned to pre-pandemic levels. “Pakistan is an important market for flydubai with 75 weekly flights,” a spokesman said.
By the end of the month, most one-way flights will be offering Dh300 to Dh800 one-way flights as more airlines fill their capacity. Average fares will drop further in the last week of September, with most airlines charging around Dh360.
Meanwhile, PIA has been gradually building up its network as demand has returned. The flag carrier announced that it will operate flights connecting Karachi and Lahore to Doha from July.
PIA, which resumed its Kuala Lumpur route last month, also launched direct flights to Baku (Azerbaijan) for the first time.
But business costs are higher
First and business class travel to Pakistan has become more expensive after the government imposed a tax on luxury services. According to a government notice, the Federal Excise Duty (FDA) on all first and business class air tickets has been increased from Rs 10,000 (Dh180) to 50,000 (Dh900) effective July 1.
But it won’t have any impact on demand, as premium seating options are reserved by businesses and the wealthy. Companies often book business or first class seats in bulk, which boosts airline profitability. Aviation analyst Fahad Masood said the government was trying to tax these big deals.
“The challenge in a global economic crisis is raising capital at a time when the economy is struggling,” Masood said. “They need to find ways and means to generate more revenue for the treasury.”
About half of Pakistan’s tourism market is Umrah and Hajj, followed by traffic in the Middle East direction. Business travel now only ranks third.
One of the busiest routes from Dubai
According to Flightradar24, Karachi is the eighth busiest route from Dubai, with 58 weekly flights, second only to Muscat with 70.
Pakistan is the second largest destination for Dubai International Airport (DXB) in 2021 with 1.8 million passengers, after India.
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