UAE travel hits summer peak as some airfares rise by 20 per cent and 'they're not done climbing'

The National

02-07-2025

The beginning of school summer holidays brings with it an annual period of busy air travel. Last week, Emirates reported an expected 30,000 daily passengers between June 25 and 30, and Dubai International Airport announced that about 3.4 million guests will travel through the airport between June 27 and July 9.
This year, the summer travel surge comes amid higher airfares, possible flight cancellations and plenty of route resumptions.
For those getting away this summer, doing so is likely going to cost more this time than it did last year. Airline ticket prices across the region have climbed above 2024 levels on several routes.
"Average airfares from Mena countries in summer 2025 have already crept above last year's levels, and they're not done climbing," says Mamoun Hmidan, chief business officer at Wego. Some routes in the online travel company's network have seen fares increase by more than 20 per cent, year on year.
Analysts point to a combination of high demand, constrained aircraft supply and regional airspace disruptions as key forces driving fares higher.
"There is a shortage of supply that is coupled with demand that's remaining broadly buoyant, and consequently upward pressure on fares is being exerted," explains John Strickland, aviation analyst and director of JLS Consulting.
Higher airfares not deterring summer holidays
Dnata, one of the UAE's oldest travel agents, reports that higher fares are not deterring bookings. 'Overall booking volumes are roughly in line with last summer,' Meerah Ketait, head of retail and leisure at dnata Travel, tells The National. Bookings are set to continue to flow in throughout July, which is typically travel agencies' peak summer period, with travellers seeking out trips to destinations, near and far.
' Maldives and Mauritius remain in high demand for premium beach getaways, while Turkey and France are also proving popular this year," adds Ketait.
Other travel companies are seeing a shift towards earlier planning. The UAE is typically a last-minute booking market, but for Namratha Rose, director of business development at luxury travel company The Travel Portfolio, there's been a distinct move towards advance bookings this summer.
'Many holidaymakers are recognising the value of early booking benefits such as flight availability and promotional rates or perks, which is encouraging them to plan well in advance,' says Rose. It's a trend also noted by Wego, which found that some travellers are locking in fares months ahead to avoid last-minute price spikes seen in previous peak seasons, particularly on long-haul and Europe-bound flights.
UAE airlines boost summer networks
Despite pricing pressures and ongoing regional instability leading to some flight disruptions, several airlines in the UAE are pushing ahead with boosting their summer offerings. Etihad Airways has resumed summer flights to several popular destinations including Nice, Mykonos, Santorini, Antalya and Malaga. The national airline of the UAE is also gearing up to start its newest summer route, to Al Alamein, with flights scheduled to begin on July 17.
The popular Egyptian north coast destination is already welcoming new flights this year from flydubai, which began operating to the resort town on June 21. The Dubai airline also added Antalya in Turkey to its summer schedule for 2025, alongside returning routes to holiday destinations in several countries, including Greece, Italy and Croatia.
And it's not only seasonal services that are making a comeback. Last Thursday, flydubai reinstated flights to Damascus, following a short pause in its operation of the first regularly scheduled flights to the Syrian capital in more than 12 years. The airline is on track to resume its full summer schedule by the start of July. 'We are pleased to see our operations resuming and look forward to the return of services to the remaining affected markets soon,' says Ghaith Al Ghaith, chief executive at flydubai.
Greece, Thailand and Indonesia among travel hotspots
Expanded air connectivity makes destinations easier and more affordable to reach, subsequently driving tourism from the region. Greece has seen a surge in demand from the UAE this year, with travel agents' online booking platform RateHawk reporting that bookings for holidays to the Mediterranean country are up 2.5 times compared to last year.
'Greece has been a particular beneficiary of improved flight connectivity from the UAE,' Serkan Ozbay, regional director of RateHawk in the Middle East, tells The National, citing flydubai's routes to Mykonos, Corfu and Santorini, as well as Etihad's seasonal Greek island routes. Joining Greece as popular holiday destinations are long-running favourites including Thailand and the Maldives, but new destinations are also seeing strong growth.
Outside traditional hotspots such as Thailand and the Maldives, destinations including Indonesia are also proving popular with travellers from the UAE, with holiday bookings to the country having doubled year on year, according to RateHawk's data.
'Indonesia's improved air connectivity makes long-haul travel more accessible,' explains Ozbay. 'This includes new and expanded routes including Etihad's recently launched flights to Denpasar and added Emirates flights to Jakarta and Denpasar.'
Other destinations offering travellers better value for money are either offbeat, or a bit closer to home. " Morocco remains an attractive option with competitive airfares, and flights to Turkey have only seen modest price hikes," shares Wego's Hmidan. "Travellers from the UAE are also increasingly opting for quick, culturally rich escapes to nearby, easy-to-reach destinations like Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan."
Syria and Lebanon's travel rebound
Two destinations seeing renewed interest from UAE travellers this year are Syria and Lebanon, according to Wego's data. Searches for flights to Syria increased 40 per cent in 2025 compared to last year, with average airfares costing about $602.
Lebanon saw similar patterns in demand, although this has softened slightly following several flight suspensions to Beirut amid current regional tensions. Prior to this, the route had shown strong signs of recovery with Wego reporting a 27 per cent rise in bookings from the UAE, and average airfares of $480. There had been hopes that average airfare could come down following ultra-low cost airline Wizz Air Abu Dhabi's launch of flights to Beirut earlier in June, however these services are currently suspended until July 2, making fare reductions unlikely in the near term. Emirates briefly paused its operations to Lebanon amid regional events, but has since resumed these services.
"We're seeing renewed traveller interest in both Lebanon and Syria, both from people looking to reconnect with family, and from travellers keen to explore destinations that were once off-limits," said Hmidan.
One factor hampering the recovery of both destinations is not flight availability or travel demand, but rather a lack of essential services. While these destinations may be re-emerging on regional airline connectivity maps, travel insurers remain cautious about offering comprehensive policies. "In Lebanon's case, most insurers are still offering coverage, but adding in specific territorial clauses and adjusted pricing," shares Toshita Chauhan from Policybazaar. "Syria, however, remains largely excluded from most mainstream policies.'
This insurance challenge reflects a broader shift in traveller behaviour across the region. More broadly, travel insurance has become perhaps the least expected summer accessory of 2025. Chauhan reports a 40 per cent month-on-month increase in comprehensive policy take-up and links it not only to recent regional travel disruption, but also to rising overall trip costs. 'People in the region are now seeing travel insurance less as an optional add-on, and much more of a travel essential. With airfares so high, the cost of not being covered is simply too great,' she says.
As the summer season reaches its crescendo, the UAE's airports and airlines are operating at full capacity, but so are traveller expectations with no slowdown when it comes to getting away. And for those who are prepared to be flexible, plan ahead and venture somewhere new, summer experiences that won't break the bank may still be within reach.