Airfares from the UAE to Qatar have skyrocketed ahead of the Fifa World Cup due to the strong demand expected, with economy class fares jumping by nearly 1,900 percent.
Airlines data revealed that one-way economy class airfare, which starts from as low as 360 dirhams on May 25, jumped to 7,110 dirhams on November 20, a day ahead of the start of the mega event.
The Fifa World Cup is scheduled to be held from November 21 to December 18. It’s expected that travel between Qatar and the UAE, especially from Dubai, will pick up substantially during the event, with a number of UAE football fans flying to Doha to watch the matches, while many people flying down to Qatar to watch matches are likely to visit Dubai as well for the region’s largest tourism destination.
Currently, the UAE carriers flydubai, Etihad, and Air Arabia, and Qatar’s national carrier Qatar Airways all of which are operating flights between the two Gulf countries.
Data revealed that economy class airfares range from 360 to 3,370 dirhams while first-class seats cost between 4,170 to 7,110 dirhams in May. But economy class seat cost surges in November to be at par with the first class in November when one-way economy class ticket costs over 7,100 dirhams due to strong demand.
In late April, FIFA said that 23.5 million World Cup tickets were requested in the latest round of sales for the tournament.
Applications from Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Mexico, Qatar, Saudi, and the US dominated, the world body said highlighting the “enormous demand”.
