UAE-Kerala December ticket prices rise by up to 35% over Air India Express flight cuts

UAE residents flying to the southern Indian state of Kerala over the winter break this year can expect an increase in ticket rates of up to 35 percent, according to travel experts. This comes even as Air India Express has vowed to reinstate the flights it planned to reduce during its winter season starting October 15.

- Nasreen Abdulla

Currently, ticket prices to Kerala during the December holidays start from Dh1,500. – FILE PHOTO

“We are expecting an increase in ticket rates between 30 and 35 per cent in addition to the usual seasonal peak that we see during the school winter break,” said Safeer Mohammed, General Manager of Smart Travels. “Air India Express has said that it will reinstate some of the flights in this season itself. However, there is no clarity on which flights will be reinstated and when. So currently the flight ticket prices are continuing to be high.”

Currently, ticket prices to Kerala during the December holidays start from Dh1,500, while prices were starting at Dh800 and going up to Dh1,200 last year at the same time, according to Safer. During off-peak season, these ticket prices usually start from around Dh650.

Last week reports emerged that Air India was planning to reschedule its low cost flights, Air India Express, to reduce the number of services to Kerala during the winter schedule stretching from October 2025 to March 2026, prompting strong reactions from the Indian diaspora and politicians calling on the carrier to refrain from doing so. Keralites form one of the largest expatriate groups in the UAE, with their numbers thought to exceed 1 million.