For trips coinciding with the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, with percentages of up to 45%

Travel agencies: airline ticket prices continue to rise to Arab stations

• The bulk of the demand for travel during the Eid holiday is visiting family and relatives. From the source

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Managers in travel agencies said: «The prices of airline tickets to the most requested Arab destinations continue to rise for flights that coincide with the Eid al-Fitr holiday, by up to 45%», pointing out that the largest part of the demand for travel during the Eid al-Fitr holiday is to visit family and relatives, in addition to traveling for holidays in tourist destinations, but at lower rates.

They explained to Emirates Today that «prices vary from one destination to another due to several factors, the most important of which is the number of flights between the two destinations or the seat capacity provided by airlines», suggesting the adoption of flexible dates for round trips to obtain reduced prices, especially to the most requested destinations.

"The festive season always sees an increase in demand for travel, which naturally leads to an increase in price levels," they said.

Noticeable rise

In detail, the CEO of Dubai World Travel, Bader Ahli, said that «the prices of airline tickets to the most popular Arab destinations in the local market, recorded remarkable rates of increase for flights that coincide with the Eid Al-Fitr holiday», noting that prices continue to rise as the holiday approaches, with an increase in the rate of seats booked on flights.

Ahli explained that «the next holiday for Eid al-Fitr is limited to a few days, and therefore the demand for travel will exceed the supply levels of seat capacity on flights, which is reflected in the increase in ticket prices», pointing out that most customers prefer to travel a day or two before Eid, and return at the beginning of the following week.

"Prices vary from one destination to another due to several factors, including the number of flights between the two destinations, or the seat capacity provided by airlines," he said.

"For some destinations, we find prices lower than others, due to flexibility and sufficient number of flights, unlike other destinations where demand exceeds the available supply by large percentages," Ahli said.

Most Requested

Ahli pointed out that Egypt is one of the most requested destinations during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, along with Saudi Arabia, as well as the destinations of: Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and others, explaining that «airline ticket prices are up to 30% higher, compared to their rates during January and February of this year, while it is expected that the last reservations made a few days or hours before the date of travel will witness significant increases».

"The largest part of the demand for travel during the Eid al-Fitr holiday is to visit family and relatives, in addition to traveling for holidays in tourist destinations, but at lower rates," he said.

Peak periods

Salah Mansour, CEO of STS at Dubai Link Group, said: "The festive seasons are one of the main peak periods on which airlines build their strategies in terms of operation, budgets and the supply and demand process," pointing out that the festive season always witnesses an increase in demand for travel, which naturally leads to an increase in price levels, especially to the most demanding destinations.

Mansour added that «Eid al-Fitr is one of the special occasions that witness a rise in demand, especially to the nearby countries and the most demanded for the residents of the country, such as: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and other stations, where many residents are keen to travel to spend the holidays and meet with families, and also active travel to nearby countries for tourism, due to the short period of the Eid holiday».

Price variation

Mansour stated that most airlines, during this period, are keen to work to increase the number of seats available for sale, through the use of large-sized aircraft in their fleet, or by increasing the number of flights to these destinations, indicating that prices vary from one destination to another, but on average they are higher by between 35 and 45%, compared to the average prices in normal times for Arab stations.

He explained that «peak flights for the Eid al-Fitr holiday are limited to between April 19 and 23».

High occupancy

Mohammed Jassim Al Rais, Deputy CEO of Al Rais Travel, said that "the demand for travel to Arab destinations is witnessing a strong demand during the Eid Al-Fitr holiday," noting that this was reflected in an increase in average ticket prices by up to 30%, compared to rates since the beginning of this year, with demand levels exceeding the supply levels of seat capacity on flights.

He added that flights that coincide with the Eid al-Fitr holiday record high occupancy rates due to the short holiday period, pointing out that the adoption of flexible dates for round trips will help customers to obtain prices lower than these levels.

Al-Rayes said that the prices of flights a few days before the Eid holiday and returning at the end of the holiday, record a continuous increase as the rate of seats booked on the flight increases as the date of the holiday and travel approaches.