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Air India Express has restored around 90% of its Middle East network after disruptions caused by the West Asia conflict and expects operations to return to pre-war levels by October, provided there is no further geopolitical escalation, Air India Express Chairman and Chief Commercial Officer at Air India, Nipun Aggarwal, said.
"We are restoring the network from the second half of this year. In the Middle East, we are already back to about 90% of our network. In Europe and the US, the flights that were curtailed are already back on sale. From October onwards, we expect to be back to where we were pre-war, unless there is any further escalation," Aggarwal said while speaking at the launch of Air India Express' new Abu Dhabi services from Navi Mumbai, Indore and Lucknow.
Aggarwal said the UAE continues to be one of the airline group's most strategic international markets.
"The UAE accounts for a quarter of our business as a group. It's a very strategic, very fast-growing market. We see the UAE as our home market because this is where the foundation of Air India Express was laid," he said.
The airline will launch Guwahati-Abu Dhabi services next month, expanding its connectivity between India and the UAE.
Passenger traffic through Sheikh Zayed International Airport has already surpassed last year's levels, according to officials.
"We never closed. In fact, we are already above last year's traffic levels. Last week, we had five days where traffic was between 105% and 110% compared with the same period last year," said Carsten Norland, Chief Commercial Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports.
He added that Indian airlines are rapidly adding capacity.
"Air India Express and the other Indian carriers are already increasing capacity to levels well above last year," he said.
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi also pointed to continued resilience in visitor demand.
"If you look at the numbers, hotel occupancy stood at 64% in May. The resilience of the tourism industry has been very strong. International and domestic demand have remained positive, our attractions and museums have remained open, and we continue to see visitors returning," said Haitham Al Khamis, Director of Tourism Products Development at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.
The comments from Abu Dhabi's tourism department and airport officials reinforce the improving travel sentiment between India and the UAE, even as airlines continue to closely monitor geopolitical developments in West Asia. Air India Express expects to restore its international network to pre-war levels by October, subject to no further escalation in the region.
"We are restoring the network from the second half of this year. In the Middle East, we are already back to about 90% of our network. In Europe and the US, the flights that were curtailed are already back on sale. From October onwards, we expect to be back to where we were pre-war, unless there is any further escalation," Aggarwal said while speaking at the launch of Air India Express' new Abu Dhabi services from Navi Mumbai, Indore and Lucknow.
Aggarwal said the UAE continues to be one of the airline group's most strategic international markets.
"The UAE accounts for a quarter of our business as a group. It's a very strategic, very fast-growing market. We see the UAE as our home market because this is where the foundation of Air India Express was laid," he said.
The airline will launch Guwahati-Abu Dhabi services next month, expanding its connectivity between India and the UAE.
Passenger traffic through Sheikh Zayed International Airport has already surpassed last year's levels, according to officials.
"We never closed. In fact, we are already above last year's traffic levels. Last week, we had five days where traffic was between 105% and 110% compared with the same period last year," said Carsten Norland, Chief Commercial Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports.
He added that Indian airlines are rapidly adding capacity.
"Air India Express and the other Indian carriers are already increasing capacity to levels well above last year," he said.
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi also pointed to continued resilience in visitor demand.
"If you look at the numbers, hotel occupancy stood at 64% in May. The resilience of the tourism industry has been very strong. International and domestic demand have remained positive, our attractions and museums have remained open, and we continue to see visitors returning," said Haitham Al Khamis, Director of Tourism Products Development at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.
The comments from Abu Dhabi's tourism department and airport officials reinforce the improving travel sentiment between India and the UAE, even as airlines continue to closely monitor geopolitical developments in West Asia. Air India Express expects to restore its international network to pre-war levels by October, subject to no further escalation in the region.
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