“We are in the process of restoring our network throughout the second half of this year. In the Middle East, we’ve already achieved about 90% of our network capacity. Flights to Europe and the US that were previously limited are now back on sale. We aim to return to our pre-war status by October, barring any additional escalations,” Aggarwal mentioned during the announcement of Air India Express’ new Abu Dhabi services from Navi Mumbai, Indore, and Lucknow.
Aggarwal noted that the UAE remains one of the airline group’s key international markets.
“The UAE represents a quarter of our overall business. It is a highly strategic and rapidly growing market. We regard the UAE as our home market since it is where the foundation of Air India Express was established,” he added.
The airline is set to introduce Guwahati-Abu Dhabi services next month, enhancing its connectivity between India and the UAE.
Traffic at Sheikh Zayed International Airport has already exceeded last year’s figures, as reported by officials.
“We never halted operations. In fact, we are already surpassing last year’s traffic levels. Just last week, we experienced five days where traffic was between 105% and 110% compared to the same week last year,” stated Carsten Norland, Chief Commercial Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports.
He noted that Indian airlines are rapidly increasing their capacity.
“Air India Express and other Indian carriers have already raised their capacity to levels significantly higher than last year,” he revealed.
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi also highlighted the ongoing resilience in visitor demand.
“Looking at the numbers, hotel occupancy was 64% in May. The robustness of the tourism sector has been quite impressive. Both international and domestic demand remain strong, our attractions and museums are open, and we continue to see visitors returning,” expressed Haitham Al Khamis, Director of Tourism Products Development at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.
The insights from Abu Dhabi’s tourism department and airport officials underscore the positive travel sentiment between India and the UAE, as airlines remain vigilant regarding geopolitical developments in West Asia. Air India Express aims to restore its international network to pre-war levels by October, pending any further escalation in the region.
