Finally, UAE citizens no longer have to wait three months
or longer to travel to Europe on a Schengen visa. This will undoubtedly
increase corporate travel to the EU as the UAE prepares for a new season after
the summer.The availability of Schengen visa appointments is
currently dependent on the embassy or nation that travelers from the UAE are
applying with, according to Raheesh Babu, Chief Operating Officer of the online
travel site Musafir.com. Some nations won't accept appointments for visas
beyond October.
Airlines' prices to Europe will start to decline starting
in the first week of September, according to travel agents. Currently, a ticket
to Amsterdam can cost between Dh3,000 and Dh4,000; however, in September, the
cost will be between Dh1,500 and Dh2,500. Currently, a one-way ticket to Berlin
will cost at least Dh3,000, but that price will drop to 50% by the end of the
month.
For a ticket to Madrid, airlines are already charging up
to Dh2,500, but future price increases are not anticipated to be significant.
In the first week of September, the cheapest airfare on the London to Paris
route will cost less than half as much as it does currently.
Travel agency: "Fares won't return to pre-pandemic
levels any time soon. Fuel prices are still fairly high. "Corporate travel
will continue to increase even while leisure travel will decline dramatically
in the coming weeks."
With the introduction of Premium Economy by Emiratesairline on flights to London and Paris, business travel received a further
boost.
Flight
disruptions
Despite a decline in airline cancellation rates, the
chaotic summer air travel season is set to last into the fall. Ryanair
employees in Spain have scheduled weekly strikes until January 7, 2023, and
aviation employees in Portugal will be participating in several days of
industrial action in August.
Because of the resurgence in travel demand, airlines have
had a difficult time keeping up. Operators' poor preparation and their
inability to prepare ahead of the summer travel peaks have all contributed to
the continued congestion at airports. The number of daily flights or passengers
at London Heathrow and Amsterdam Schiphol airports is being restricted.
The beginning of a reimbursement programme for travellers
who arrived at the airport on time between April 23 and August 11 but missed
their flight owing to abnormally long wait times at security control was
announced by Schiphol last month.
Rising
capacity
According to aviation data company OAG, Western Europe
overcame interruptions to become the biggest regional aviation market in the
week ending August 15.
Approximately 23.68 million seats were deployed by
airlines in the market, up 36% from the same time last year, but down 11% from
2019. The various school holiday seasons in each region make this a "enjoy
it while you can" moment for Western Europe, according to aviation analyst
John Grant in an OAG piece. "Normal service will resume in September.
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