UAE summer demand holds
Summer travel interest to the UAE remains strong, but many families are delaying bookings because airfares are high and flight availability is limited. (Reports cite persistently elevated fares and constrained seat capacity as drivers of booking hesitation despite steady demand.) (gulfnews.com)
Summer travel demand from the United Arab Emirates is still strong, but many families are waiting to book because fares are high and seats are scarce. (gulfnews.com) Travel agents told Gulf News the bottleneck is seat supply, not interest, especially on India routes where fewer flights have pushed ticket prices higher. Musafir.com Chief Operating Officer Raheesh Babu said some Indian carriers that had been operating about 40 flights a day on certain sectors are now running fewer than 10. (gulfnews.com) Deira Travels General Manager T. P. Sudeesh said United Arab Emirates carriers are operating at about 60 to 70 percent capacity, and some airlines are releasing schedules only five to seven days ahead. He said travelers who once had four or five flights a day on some regional routes may now find only one or two. (gulfnews.com) The timing is hitting families that usually lock in school-break trips months in advance. Gulf News reported that some middle-income households postponed travel during Eid al-Fitr and are now weighing Eid al-Adha or later summer departures instead. (gulfnews.com) Airlines are facing a broader capacity squeeze in 2026. The International Air Transport Association said in its December 2025 outlook that global passenger traffic is forecast to rise 4.9 percent this year, while limited aircraft availability and labor shortages are keeping load factors near record highs at a projected 83.8 percent. (iata.org) That pressure showed up again in IATA’s March 31, 2026 update. The group said February demand rose 6.1 percent from a year earlier, and Director General Willie Walsh said fuel costs had risen sharply after the outbreak of war in the Middle East, with air fares already climbing in a tight-capacity market. (iata.org) In the United Arab Emirates market, that leaves travelers checking fares daily and waiting for either extra flights or lower prices. The demand is still there; the booking hesitation is coming from cost and uncertainty, not a lack of interest in flying. (gulfnews.com)
