The air corridor between the UAE and India is among the busiest, driven by the 3.7 million Indian nationals residing and working in the UAE, making them the largest group of foreign workers in the expat community.
This high demand for air travel causes airfares to spike, usually more than double during peak seasons like summer and New Year holidays. Travel industry leaders are urging both governments to increase seat capacity to meet the growing demand. Additionally, a significant number of Indians visit Dubai for tourism year-round.
Starting next month, IndiGo will expand its operations to three more Indian cities. The low-cost carrier will begin direct flights between Abu Dhabi and Mangaluru, Coimbatore, and Tiruchirappalli. Daily flights on the Abu Dhabi to Mangaluru route will commence on August 9, while flights from Tiruchirappalli to Abu Dhabi will run four times a week starting August 11, 2024. The Coimbatore to Abu Dhabi route will have thrice-weekly flights from August 10.
“With these new additions, IndiGo will operate 89 non-stop flights a week to Abu Dhabi from 13 Indian cities,” said Vinay Malhotra, head of global sales at IndiGo. He emphasized that the airline aims to provide an “affordable” travel experience for its customers.
IndiGo has set one-way airfare from Abu Dhabi to Mangaluru and Coimbatore as low as Dh353 and Dh330, respectively, for the upcoming months. Return fares for UAE travelers can be as low as Dh843.
