UAE Ambassador to India Abdulnasser Alshaalihas called for more flights between the two countries. “The airfare has grown, and demand is much higher. We need more flights and seat capacities. Otherwise, prices will continue to rise,” he said.
“The fact is the prices have increased by a significant number. It’s double compared to 10 years ago. There’s no supply left in the market and demand is much higher. It will continue to grow, and from different cities across India,” Alshaali said in an interview to Gulf News on the sidelines of the inaugural UAE-India Founders’ Retreat at the Dubai International Financial Centre.
He said he has mooted the idea of increasing flights between the two nations and connecting more Tier-2 Indian cities to the UAE. “I have learned that Indians prefer flying to airports near their hometowns on specific days, which is why expanding flight options is crucial,” Alshaali told Khaleej Times. “It will boost tourism, create jobs, and foster business opportunities. Our focus is to create a win-win situation that will redefine the dynamics of our relations,” he added.
While UAE-India relations have reached new heights following the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), and bilateral non-oil trade remains on track to hit $100 billion by 2030, Dr Alshaali told Gulf News about the challenge in further strengthening people-to-people and business-to-business connections: aviation. “Everything else in this relationship, in one way or another, is already being taken care of,” Alshaali said and noted that aviation has developed up to a certain point but has now “stagnated”.
There are hundreds of weekly flights connecting Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah to major Indian cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, and states such as Kerala.
Ease-of-travel Alshaali said that more flights would strengthen the people-to-people connection and ensure ease-of-travel for investors, business communities, and students. “For all of this to work, everything that we’re doing, we need to have the flight. So, that people can get on the flight, travel to the UAE or India, attend their meetings and return without worrying about getting a seat, regardless of the price,” he told Gulf News.
