PHOTO
05 January 2017
The price of plane tickets to the Middle East has fallen to a three-year low this year, as a result of increased competition between carriers and low fuel prices, travel agents said in a report on Thursday by Dubai-based Emarat Alyoum newspaper.
“The average price of a plane ticket to a Middle Eastern destination has reached around 800 dirhams ($217.8) for the economy class and 1,100 dirhams for the business one,” the newspaper said, an average drop of around 20 percent compared to January last year.
According to the director of the United Arab Emirates-based Skyline travel agency, Samer Asha, oversupply and the huge availability of seats have helped drive the prices down.
“The airline companies are competing over prices, especially during the past months (that include Christmas and New Year holidays),” Asha told Emarat Alyoum newspaper.
“The decline in oil prices have also reflected on the costs of aircrafts’ operations, giving it a wider margin for competition,” he added.
The drop in ticket prices comes as Dubai International Airport reported that it saw a 7 percent year-on-year rise in the number of passengers passing through the airport in the first eleven months of 2016.
(Writing by Yasmine Saleh)
© Zawya 2017
The price of plane tickets to the Middle East has fallen to a three-year low this year, as a result of increased competition between carriers and low fuel prices, travel agents said in a report on Thursday by Dubai-based Emarat Alyoum newspaper.
“The average price of a plane ticket to a Middle Eastern destination has reached around 800 dirhams ($217.8) for the economy class and 1,100 dirhams for the business one,” the newspaper said, an average drop of around 20 percent compared to January last year.
According to the director of the United Arab Emirates-based Skyline travel agency, Samer Asha, oversupply and the huge availability of seats have helped drive the prices down.
“The airline companies are competing over prices, especially during the past months (that include Christmas and New Year holidays),” Asha told Emarat Alyoum newspaper.
“The decline in oil prices have also reflected on the costs of aircrafts’ operations, giving it a wider margin for competition,” he added.
The drop in ticket prices comes as Dubai International Airport reported that it saw a 7 percent year-on-year rise in the number of passengers passing through the airport in the first eleven months of 2016.
(Writing by Yasmine Saleh)
© Zawya 2017
