Airfare to Gulf spikes: Family of four needs to shell out more than Rs 1 L

The rise in air ticket fares will negatively impact non-residents returning to Gulf countries from Kerala after the summer vacation. With schools in the UAE reopening after August 27, those needing to return before then will face significantly higher costs.

The flight costs from Kochi to Dubai are as follows:

Air India Express-  AED 1282 (Rs 29,208)
Spice Jet- AED 1486 (Rs 33,855)
IndiGo- AED 1992 (Rs 45382)
Air India- AED 2326 (Rs 52993)
Emirates Airlines- AED 3055 (Rs 69602)
Fly Dubai- AED 3654 (Rs 83,249)

Rates from other airports in Kerala are also similar. Tickets are available at AED 600 (Rs 13,669) from Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai. But the journey will take at least two days.
Air India Express fare to Ras Al Khaimah is AED 1148 (Rs 26,155). Kozhikode- Sharjah Air India Express fare is AED 1286 (Rs 29,299). Kozhikode-Dubai fare via IndiGo airlines is AED 1403 (Rs 31,964).

On Spicejet, on the other hand, passengers will have to pay AED 1659 (Rs 37,797) to reach Dubai. To fly from Kozhikode to Sharjah on Air Arabia, passengers will need to pay AED 1850 (Rs 42,148). Fly Dubai costs up to AED 4935 (Rs 11,2434) to reach Dubai from Kozhikode. The amount goes up to AED 5208 (Rs 11,8654) on Emirates.
In addition to the summer holidays, the approaching Onam festival may lead to further increases in air ticket prices. As a result, a family of four can expect to spend at least Rs 1 lakh for a flight from Kerala to the Gulf.