Latest news with #Dnata
Bloomberg
11-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Emirates Employees Get Smaller Salary Bump After Record Year
Emirates Group is giving more modest pay increases to employees this year, suggesting the owner of the world's largest international airline is keeping a closer eye on costs. Employees across its businesses in Dubai, including Emirates' namesake carrier and the Dnata airport services unit, were granted a 3% increase to their basic salaries, one percentage point less than what was handed out last year, according to documents seen by Bloomberg News.
The National
02-07-2025
- Business
- The National
UAE airfares rise by up to 20 per cent as travel hits summer peak
The beginning of school summer holidays brings with it an annual period of busy air travel. Last week, Emirates reported an expected 30,000 daily passenger count between June 25 and 30, and Dubai International Airport announced that about 3.4 million guests will travel through the airport between June 27 and July 9. This year, the summer travel surge comes amid higher airfares, possible flight cancellations and plenty of route resumptions. For those getting away at this time, doing so is likely going to cost more than it did last year. Airline ticket prices across the region have climbed above 2024 levels on several routes. 'Average airfares from Mena countries in summer 2025 have already crept above last year's levels, and they're not done climbing,' says Mamoun Hmidan, chief business officer at Wego. Some routes in the online travel company's network have seen fares increase by more than 20 per cent, year on year. Analysts point to a combination of high demand, constrained aircraft supply and regional airspace disruptions as key forces driving fares higher. 'There is a shortage of supply that is coupled with demand that's remaining broadly buoyant, and consequently upward pressure on fares is being exerted,' explains John Strickland, aviation analyst and director of JLS Consulting. Higher fares not deterring holidaymakers Dnata, one of the UAE's oldest travel agents, reports that higher fares are not deterring bookings. 'Overall booking volumes are roughly in line with last summer,' Meerah Ketait, head of retail and leisure at dnata Travel, tells The National. Bookings are set to continue to flow in throughout July, which is typically a travel agency's peak summer period, with holidaymakers seeking out trips to destinations, near and far. ' Maldives and Mauritius remain in high demand for premium beach getaways, while Turkey and France are also proving popular this year,' adds Ketait. Other travel companies are seeing a shift towards earlier planning. The UAE is typically a last-minute booking market, but for Namratha Rose, director of business development at luxury travel company The Travel Portfolio, there's been a distinct move towards bookings made well in advance for this summer. 'Many holidaymakers are recognising the value of early booking benefits such as flight availability and promotional rates or perks, which is encouraging them to plan well in advance,' says Rose. It's a trend also noted by Wego, which found that some travellers are locking in fares months ahead to avoid last-minute price spikes seen in previous peak seasons, particularly on long-haul and Europe-bound flights. UAE airlines boost summer routes Despite pricing pressures and regional uncertainty leading to some flight disruptions, several airlines in the UAE are pushing ahead with boosting their summer offerings. Etihad Airways has resumed summer flights to several popular destinations including Nice, Mykonos, Santorini, Antalya and Malaga. The national airline of the UAE is also gearing up to start its newest summer route, to Al Alamein, with flights scheduled to begin on July 17. The popular Egyptian north coast destination is already welcoming new flights this year from flydubai, which began operating to the resort town on June 21. The Dubai airline also added Antalya in Turkey to its summer schedule for 2025, alongside returning routes to holiday destinations in several countries, including Greece, Italy and Croatia. It's not only seasonal services that are making a comeback, either. Last Thursday, flydubai reinstated flights to Damascus, following a short pause in its operation of the first regularly scheduled flights to the Syrian capital in more than 12 years. The airline is on track to resume its full summer schedule by the start of July. 'We are pleased to see our operations resuming and look forward to the return of services to the remaining affected markets soon,' says Ghaith Al Ghaith, chief executive at flydubai. Greece, Thailand, Indonesia among hotspots Expanded air connectivity makes destinations easier and more affordable to reach, subsequently driving tourism from the region. Greece has seen a surge in demand from the UAE this year, with travel agents' online booking platform RateHawk reporting that bookings for holidays to the Mediterranean country are up 2.5 times compared to last year. 'Greece has been a particular beneficiary of improved flight connectivity from the UAE,' Serkan Ozbay, regional director of RateHawk in the Middle East, tells The National, citing flydubai's routes to Mykonos, Corfu and Santorini, as well as Etihad's seasonal Greek island routes. Joining Greece as popular holiday destinations are long-running favourites including Thailand and the Maldives, but new destinations are also seeing strong growth. Outside traditional hotspots such as Thailand and the Maldives, destinations including Indonesia are also proving popular with travellers from the UAE, with holiday bookings to the country having doubled year on year, according to RateHawk's data. 'Indonesia's improved air connectivity makes long-haul travel more accessible,' explains Ozbay. 'This includes new and expanded routes including Etihad's recently launched flights to Denpasar and added Emirates flights to Jakarta and Denpasar.' Other destinations offering travellers better value for money are either offbeat or a bit closer to home. ' Morocco remains an attractive option with competitive airfares, while flights to Turkey have only seen modest price hikes,' says Wego's Hmidan. 'Travellers from the UAE are also increasingly opting for quick, culturally rich escapes to nearby, easy-to-reach destinations such as Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.' Syria and Lebanon's travel rebound Two destinations seeing renewed interest from UAE travellers this year are Syria and Lebanon, according to Wego's data. Searches for flights to Syria increased 40 per cent in 2025 compared to last year, with average airfares costing about $602. Lebanon saw similar patterns in demand, although this has softened slightly following several flight suspensions to Beirut amid current regional tensions. Prior to this, the route had shown strong signs of recovery with Wego reporting a 27 per cent rise in bookings from the UAE, and average airfares of $480. There had been hopes that average airfare could come down following ultra-low-cost airline Wizz Air Abu Dhabi's launch of flights to Beirut earlier in June; however, these services are currently suspended until July 2, making fare reductions unlikely in the near term. Emirates briefly paused its operations to Lebanon amid regional events, but has since resumed these services. 'We're seeing renewed traveller interest in both Lebanon and Syria, both from people looking to reconnect with family, and from travellers keen to explore destinations that were once off-limits,' said Hmidan. One factor hampering the recovery of both destinations is not flight availability or travel demand, but rather a lack of essential services. While these destinations may be re-emerging on regional airline connectivity maps, travel insurers remain cautious about offering comprehensive policies. 'In Lebanon's case, most insurers are still offering coverage, but adding in specific territorial clauses and adjusted pricing,' says Toshita Chauhan from Policybazaar. 'Syria, however, remains largely excluded from most mainstream policies.' This insurance challenge reflects a broader shift in traveller behaviour across the region. More broadly, travel insurance has become perhaps the least expected summer accessory of 2025. Chauhan reports a 40 per cent month-on-month increase in comprehensive policy take-up, and links it not only to recent regional travel disruption, but also to rising overall trip costs. 'People in the region are now seeing travel insurance less as an optional add-on, and much more of a travel essential. With airfares so high, the cost of not being covered is simply too great,' she says. As the summer season reaches its crescendo, the UAE's airports and airlines are operating at full capacity, but so are traveller expectations with no slowdown when it comes to getting away. And for those who are prepared to be flexible, plan ahead and venture someplace new, summer experiences that won't break the bank may still be within reach.
The National
02-07-2025
- Business
- The National
UAE travel hits summer peak as some airfares rise by 20 per cent and 'they're not done climbing'
The beginning of school summer holidays brings with it an annual period of busy air travel. Last week, Emirates reported an expected 30,000 daily passengers between June 25 and 30, and Dubai International Airport announced that about 3.4 million guests will travel through the airport between June 27 and July 9. This year, the summer travel surge comes amid higher airfares, possible flight cancellations and plenty of route resumptions. For those getting away this summer, doing so is likely going to cost more this time than it did last year. Airline ticket prices across the region have climbed above 2024 levels on several routes. "Average airfares from Mena countries in summer 2025 have already crept above last year's levels, and they're not done climbing," says Mamoun Hmidan, chief business officer at Wego. Some routes in the online travel company's network have seen fares increase by more than 20 per cent, year on year. Analysts point to a combination of high demand, constrained aircraft supply and regional airspace disruptions as key forces driving fares higher. "There is a shortage of supply that is coupled with demand that's remaining broadly buoyant, and consequently upward pressure on fares is being exerted," explains John Strickland, aviation analyst and director of JLS Consulting. Higher airfares not deterring summer holidays Dnata, one of the UAE's oldest travel agents, reports that higher fares are not deterring bookings. 'Overall booking volumes are roughly in line with last summer,' Meerah Ketait, head of retail and leisure at dnata Travel, tells The National. Bookings are set to continue to flow in throughout July, which is typically travel agencies' peak summer period, with travellers seeking out trips to destinations, near and far. ' Maldives and Mauritius remain in high demand for premium beach getaways, while Turkey and France are also proving popular this year," adds Ketait. Other travel companies are seeing a shift towards earlier planning. The UAE is typically a last-minute booking market, but for Namratha Rose, director of business development at luxury travel company The Travel Portfolio, there's been a distinct move towards advance bookings this summer. 'Many holidaymakers are recognising the value of early booking benefits such as flight availability and promotional rates or perks, which is encouraging them to plan well in advance,' says Rose. It's a trend also noted by Wego, which found that some travellers are locking in fares months ahead to avoid last-minute price spikes seen in previous peak seasons, particularly on long-haul and Europe-bound flights. UAE airlines boost summer networks Despite pricing pressures and ongoing regional instability leading to some flight disruptions, several airlines in the UAE are pushing ahead with boosting their summer offerings. Etihad Airways has resumed summer flights to several popular destinations including Nice, Mykonos, Santorini, Antalya and Malaga. The national airline of the UAE is also gearing up to start its newest summer route, to Al Alamein, with flights scheduled to begin on July 17. The popular Egyptian north coast destination is already welcoming new flights this year from flydubai, which began operating to the resort town on June 21. The Dubai airline also added Antalya in Turkey to its summer schedule for 2025, alongside returning routes to holiday destinations in several countries, including Greece, Italy and Croatia. And it's not only seasonal services that are making a comeback. Last Thursday, flydubai reinstated flights to Damascus, following a short pause in its operation of the first regularly scheduled flights to the Syrian capital in more than 12 years. The airline is on track to resume its full summer schedule by the start of July. 'We are pleased to see our operations resuming and look forward to the return of services to the remaining affected markets soon,' says Ghaith Al Ghaith, chief executive at flydubai. Greece, Thailand and Indonesia among travel hotspots Expanded air connectivity makes destinations easier and more affordable to reach, subsequently driving tourism from the region. Greece has seen a surge in demand from the UAE this year, with travel agents' online booking platform RateHawk reporting that bookings for holidays to the Mediterranean country are up 2.5 times compared to last year. 'Greece has been a particular beneficiary of improved flight connectivity from the UAE,' Serkan Ozbay, regional director of RateHawk in the Middle East, tells The National, citing flydubai's routes to Mykonos, Corfu and Santorini, as well as Etihad's seasonal Greek island routes. Joining Greece as popular holiday destinations are long-running favourites including Thailand and the Maldives, but new destinations are also seeing strong growth. Outside traditional hotspots such as Thailand and the Maldives, destinations including Indonesia are also proving popular with travellers from the UAE, with holiday bookings to the country having doubled year on year, according to RateHawk's data. 'Indonesia's improved air connectivity makes long-haul travel more accessible,' explains Ozbay. 'This includes new and expanded routes including Etihad's recently launched flights to Denpasar and added Emirates flights to Jakarta and Denpasar.' Other destinations offering travellers better value for money are either offbeat, or a bit closer to home. " Morocco remains an attractive option with competitive airfares, and flights to Turkey have only seen modest price hikes," shares Wego's Hmidan. "Travellers from the UAE are also increasingly opting for quick, culturally rich escapes to nearby, easy-to-reach destinations like Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan." Syria and Lebanon's travel rebound Two destinations seeing renewed interest from UAE travellers this year are Syria and Lebanon, according to Wego's data. Searches for flights to Syria increased 40 per cent in 2025 compared to last year, with average airfares costing about $602. Lebanon saw similar patterns in demand, although this has softened slightly following several flight suspensions to Beirut amid current regional tensions. Prior to this, the route had shown strong signs of recovery with Wego reporting a 27 per cent rise in bookings from the UAE, and average airfares of $480. There had been hopes that average airfare could come down following ultra-low cost airline Wizz Air Abu Dhabi's launch of flights to Beirut earlier in June, however these services are currently suspended until July 2, making fare reductions unlikely in the near term. Emirates briefly paused its operations to Lebanon amid regional events, but has since resumed these services. "We're seeing renewed traveller interest in both Lebanon and Syria, both from people looking to reconnect with family, and from travellers keen to explore destinations that were once off-limits," said Hmidan. One factor hampering the recovery of both destinations is not flight availability or travel demand, but rather a lack of essential services. While these destinations may be re-emerging on regional airline connectivity maps, travel insurers remain cautious about offering comprehensive policies. "In Lebanon's case, most insurers are still offering coverage, but adding in specific territorial clauses and adjusted pricing," shares Toshita Chauhan from Policybazaar. "Syria, however, remains largely excluded from most mainstream policies.' This insurance challenge reflects a broader shift in traveller behaviour across the region. More broadly, travel insurance has become perhaps the least expected summer accessory of 2025. Chauhan reports a 40 per cent month-on-month increase in comprehensive policy take-up and links it not only to recent regional travel disruption, but also to rising overall trip costs. 'People in the region are now seeing travel insurance less as an optional add-on, and much more of a travel essential. With airfares so high, the cost of not being covered is simply too great,' she says. As the summer season reaches its crescendo, the UAE's airports and airlines are operating at full capacity, but so are traveller expectations with no slowdown when it comes to getting away. And for those who are prepared to be flexible, plan ahead and venture somewhere new, summer experiences that won't break the bank may still be within reach.
Khaleej Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Travelling through Dubai airport? Soon, check in your luggage from anywhere in UAE
You could soon be checking in your baggage from anywhere in the city to travel from Dubai Airport (DXB). That is because DXB wants to make sure that at least 25 per cent of luggage is checked in from outside the airport facility. 'We handled 24 million bags this quarter, so we're going to exceed 100 million bags in Dubai this year,' said Ciaran O'Sullivan, DVP Airline Services UAE Airport Operations at Dnata. 'If we could have 20 per cent of them, that is one in five bags, to be checked in off-site here in Dubai, the impact on customer service experience at the airport would be tenfold.' Ciaran was speaking during a panel discussion at The Airport Show, which began in Dubai on Tuesday. He added that the airport was hoping to scale their partnership with the company Dubz — which allows travellers to check in and receive their boarding pass from a home or a hotel — to achieve this. 'They satisfy thousands of customers a year but we need to get scale so that we can bring the unit price down,' he said. 'By working with the RTA, the metro system, Dubai Airport, holiday companies, hotels and the masses, we can do a lot.' Launched in 2016, Dubz provides a baggage collection and delivery service that can be booked online at any time. After being selected the winner of an aviation and travel incubator program co-founded by the Emirates Group, GE, and Dubai Tourism, the company was acquired by Dnata. Passenger perception According to John Dyett, Vice President of Baggage Service Delivery at DXB, ensuring proper handling of baggage is of utmost importance for the airport. 'Baggage handling often defines a passenger's perception of an airport,' he said. 'We need to think what steps can airports take to minimise mishandling while enhancing speed and predictability?' He added that the airport handles approximately 250,000 bags every day, going up to 300,000 on busy days in the first quarter of this year. Several airports in the world have been using AI to ensure timely delivery of baggage, Dr Heba Kurdi, research affiliate of Artificial Intelligence at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), added. 'There are already some airports who are utilising semi-smart sorting systems for their baggage,' she said. 'We also have AI-powered simulation and digital twins that help airports to do and test operations before, like having them in real-life scenarios.' Another expert at the event, Amel Chadli, president of Gulf Countries, Schneider Electric, called the vision of Dubai Airport 'forward thinking' and something that will improve the experience of passengers. 'Dubai Airport's push for off-terminal baggage check-in is a forward-thinking move that can ease terminal congestion, boost operational efficiency, and elevate the passenger journey,' she said. 'Across the international airports we support, we've seen that smart automation, energy-efficient systems, and advanced distribution management are key to streamlining ground handling and enabling a seamless travel experience."
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Under lens: A Turkish firm's India entry and its possible ties with makers of Pak drones
Nearly two decades ago, as India liberalised its aviation sector and opened the doors for ground-handling operations to foreign players, Dnata, a part of Dubai-based Emirates Group, was among the first to seek entry. Praful Patel, the then aviation minister known for his pro-privatisation stance, was shaking up the sector by privatising airports and issuing licences to new private airlines. Dnata's application was cleared by the civil aviation
