Several travel agents have predicted a hike of up to 150% on airfares from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Pakistan, India, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and other Middle Eastern countries between 23 January and the Eid-ul-Fitr, likely to fall on 21 April.
Hence, they have recommended booking the seats as early as possible, particularly for bigger families who can save more amount with advance booking.
Speaking about the expected increase in airfares, Managing Director of Pluto Travels, Avinash Adnani, stated that it becomes difficult to book a seat a week before Eid-ul-Fitr, especially on the Pakistani and Indian routes like Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Lucknow, Delhi, Dhaka, Mumbai, Kerala, etc.
The holy month of Ramadan is expected to start on 23 March (Thursday), according to astronomical calculations provided by Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Astronomical Society (EAS). Since Ramadan will last 29 days, the first day of Eid-ul-Fitr will most likely be on 21 April (Friday).
Besides, during Eid break, some of the UAE residents prefer a short vacation to popular tourist spots that are only 7-8 hours away from UAE.
Avinash stated that airfare to London also goes up since it is a famous tourist spot, and some residents go there to celebrate Eid, as opposed to the United States (US), which is incredibly far away for a short holiday.
