It was Air India Express that sold tickets at the lowest price as of January 17.

It was Air India Express that sold tickets at the lowest price as of January 17.

It was Air India Express that sold tickets at the lowest price as of January 17.

Abu Dhabi: Expatriates living in the United Arab Emirates are thrilled that the airfare from UAE to Kerala has plummeted significantly. Currently, tickets can be purchased from Rs 6,000 onwards. In some services, the last few tickets may be available for much cheaper rates. Compared to the high ticket fare during the Christmas – New Year holiday season, the ticket prices have been slashed by one-fifth. However, the charges may slightly vary depending on the services offered by each airline. A four-member family could now fly to Kerala (one–way) at an extremely affordable rate of Rs 25,000. Until three weeks ago, one had to pay the same amount for purchasing just one ticket.

Current fare
It was Air India Express that sold tickets at the lowest price as of January 17. You could book an online ticket at just Rs 5,978 (264 dirhams) in the Abu Dhabi – Kochi flight. The charges would likely remain the same in the upcoming days too. It also includes the fare for carrying 30 kg of luggage and 7 kg of hand baggage. However, when tried to register directly on the airline’s website the price was displayed as Rs 6,107 (270 dirhams). Even though lower prices are shown on some other websites, they may not include the baggage charges. Meanwhile, Indigo Airlines charges Rs 6,166 (272.59 dirhams) for a ticket from Abu Dhabi.

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Air India charges Rs 9,588 (432 dirhams) from Dubai to Kochi. However, the fares in Spice Jet and Indigo from Dubai to Kochi are above Rs 10,000 (442 dirhams). The charges would go up a bit on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Meanwhile, international airlines like the Emirates continue to charge high fares for tickets on this route.

High charges for tickets from Kerala
The ticket fares to fly from Kerala to UAE continue to go up. On 17 January, a ticket on Air India Express from Kochi to Dubai was sold at Rs 26,454. It was Rs 29,962 on Air India in the same route. Meanwhile, in Spice Jet and Indigo, a one-way ticket costs more than Rs 30,000. It would cost up to Rs 1 – 2 lakh for a family of four to fly from Kochi to UAE. The airlines are forced to spike the ticket fares as there aren’t enough services to meet the rising number of passengers on this route.