Fuel crisis adds pressure
The surge in fares is also being driven by a broader energy crunch. Tensions around the Strait of Hormuz continued to keep oil markets volatile and jet fuel prices expensive.
“Aviation as the patient is walking, but the storm just changed the forecast,” said Linus Benjamin Bauer, Founder & Global Managing Partner of BAA and Partners told Gulf News in an earlier interview.
“Structurally recovered, geopolitically stress tested… The demand engine is intact. The route architecture is under duress. I’d call this ‘recovery interrupted.’”
He said that the conflict has more than doubled kerosene prices, “blowing up every airline’s cost assumption”, while rerouting flights and airspace closures continue to add billions in unplanned expenses.
Flights are returning, but slowly
Airlines are gradually restoring services, particularly to leisure destinations, but capacity remains below pre-conflict levels.
“Turkish and European carriers may resume more fully by early May, with full capacity around May 5,” Babu said. “UAE carriers like Emirates and Air Arabia are also scaling up.”
Safeer Mahmood, General Manager of Smart Travels Group, said the recovery remains uneven.
“Things had been improving over the last two days, but tensions in the region have picked up again today,” he said. “So, we cannot say that regular travel has fully resumed, but airlines are operating a good number of flights, especially UAE carriers.”
He pointed to Air Arabia’s planned expansion into destinations such as Baku, Almaty, Tbilisi, Tashkent and Yerevan as a sign that leisure travel is returning.
With Eid demand building, inbound travel rising and airline capacity still constrained, agents say elevated fares are likely to continue in the coming months.
For travellers, the advice is clear: book early — or be prepared to pay significantly more.
Dhanusha is a Chief Reporter at Gulf News in Dubai, with her finger firmly on the pulse of UAE, regional, and global aviation. She dives deep into how airlines and airports operate, expand, and embrace the latest tech.
Known for her sharp eye for detail, Dhanusha makes complex topics like new aircraft, evolving travel trends, and aviation regulations easy to grasp. Lately, she’s especially fascinated by the world of eVTOLs and flying cars.
With nearly two decades in journalism, Dhanusha’s covered a wide range, from health and education to the pandemic, local transport, and technology. When she’s not tracking what’s happening in the skies, she enjoys exploring social media trends, tech innovations, and anything that sparks reader curiosity. Outside of work, you’ll find her immersed in electronic dance music, pop culture, movies, and video games.
