The beginning of school summer holidays brings with it an annual period of busy air travel. Last week, Emirates reported an expected 30,000 daily passenger count between June 25 and 30, and Dubai International Airport announced that about 3.4 million guests will travel through the airport between June 27 and July 9.
This year, the summer travel surge comes amid higher airfares, possible flight cancellations and plenty of route resumptions.
For those getting away at this time, doing so is likely going to cost more than it did last year. Airline ticket prices across the region have climbed above 2024 levels on several routes.
“Average airfares from Mena countries in summer 2025 have already crept above last year's levels, and they're not done climbing,” says Mamoun Hmidan, chief business officer at Wego. Some routes in the online travel company’s network have seen fares increase by more than 20 per cent, year on year.
Analysts point to a combination of high demand, constrained aircraft supply and regional airspace disruptions as key forces driving fares higher.
“There is a shortage of supply that is coupled with demand that's remaining broadly buoyant, and consequently upward pressure on fares is being exerted,” explains John Strickland, aviation analyst and director of JLS Consulting.
Higher fares not deterring holidaymakers
Dnata, one of the UAE’s oldest travel agents, reports that higher fares are not deterring bookings. “Overall booking volumes are roughly in line with last summer,” Meerah Ketait, head of retail and leisure at dnata Travel, tells The National. Bookings are set to continue to flow in throughout July, which is typically a travel agency's peak summer period, with holidaymakers seeking out trips to destinations, near and far.
“Maldives and Mauritius remain in high demand for premium beach getaways, while Turkey and France are also proving popular this year,” adds Ketait.
Other travel companies are seeing a shift towards earlier planning. The UAE is typically a last-minute booking market, but for Namratha Rose, director of business development at luxury travel company The Travel Portfolio, there’s been a distinct move towards bookings made well in advance for this summer.
“Many holidaymakers are recognising the value of early booking benefits such as flight availability and promotional rates or perks, which is encouraging them to plan well in advance,” says Rose. It’s a trend also noted by Wego, which found that some travellers are locking in fares months ahead to avoid last-minute price spikes seen in previous peak seasons, particularly on long-haul and Europe-bound flights.
UAE airlines boost summer routes
Despite pricing pressures and regional uncertainty leading to some flight disruptions, several airlines in the UAE are pushing ahead with boosting their summer offerings. Etihad Airways has resumed summer flights to several popular destinations including Nice, Mykonos, Santorini, Antalya and Malaga. The national airline of the UAE is also gearing up to start its newest summer route, to Al Alamein, with flights scheduled to begin on July 17.
The popular Egyptian north coast destination is already welcoming new flights this year from flydubai, which began operating to the resort town on June 21. The Dubai airline also added Antalya in Turkey to its summer schedule for 2025, alongside returning routes to holiday destinations in several countries, including Greece, Italy and Croatia.
It’s not only seasonal services that are making a comeback, either. Last Thursday, flydubai reinstated flights to Damascus, following a short pause in its operation of the first regularly scheduled flights to the Syrian capital in more than 12 years. The airline is on track to resume its full summer schedule by the start of July. “We are pleased to see our operations resuming and look forward to the return of services to the remaining affected markets soon,” says Ghaith Al Ghaith, chief executive at flydubai.
Greece, Thailand, Indonesia among hotspots
Expanded air connectivity makes destinations easier and more affordable to reach, subsequently driving tourism from the region. Greece has seen a surge in demand from the UAE this year, with travel agents’ online booking platform RateHawk reporting that bookings for holidays to the Mediterranean country are up 2.5 times compared to last year.
“Greece has been a particular beneficiary of improved flight connectivity from the UAE,” Serkan Ozbay, regional director of RateHawk in the Middle East, tells The National, citing flydubai’s routes to Mykonos, Corfu and Santorini, as well as Etihad’s seasonal Greek island routes. Joining Greece as popular holiday destinations are long-running favourites including Thailand and the Maldives, but new destinations are also seeing strong growth.
Outside traditional hotspots such as Thailand and the Maldives, destinations including Indonesia are also proving popular with travellers from the UAE, with holiday bookings to the country having doubled year on year, according to RateHawk’s data.
“Indonesia’s improved air connectivity makes long-haul travel more accessible,” explains Ozbay. “This includes new and expanded routes including Etihad’s recently launched flights to Denpasar and added Emirates flights to Jakarta and Denpasar.”
Other destinations offering travellers better value for money are either offbeat or a bit closer to home. “Morocco remains an attractive option with competitive airfares, while flights to Turkey have only seen modest price hikes,” says Wego’s Hmidan. “Travellers from the UAE are also increasingly opting for quick, culturally rich escapes to nearby, easy-to-reach destinations such as Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.”
Syria and Lebanon’s travel rebound
Two destinations seeing renewed interest from UAE travellers this year are Syria and Lebanon, according to Wego's data. Searches for flights to Syria increased 40 per cent in 2025 compared to last year, with average airfares costing about $602.
Lebanon saw similar patterns in demand, although this has softened slightly following several flight suspensions to Beirut amid current regional tensions. Prior to this, the route had shown strong signs of recovery with Wego reporting a 27 per cent rise in bookings from the UAE, and average airfares of $480. There had been hopes that average airfare could come down following ultra-low-cost airline Wizz Air Abu Dhabi's launch of flights to Beirut earlier in June; however, these services are currently suspended until July 2, making fare reductions unlikely in the near term. Emirates briefly paused its operations to Lebanon amid regional events, but has since resumed these services.
“We're seeing renewed traveller interest in both Lebanon and Syria, both from people looking to reconnect with family, and from travellers keen to explore destinations that were once off-limits,” said Hmidan.
One factor hampering the recovery of both destinations is not flight availability or travel demand, but rather a lack of essential services. While these destinations may be re-emerging on regional airline connectivity maps, travel insurers remain cautious about offering comprehensive policies. “In Lebanon's case, most insurers are still offering coverage, but adding in specific territorial clauses and adjusted pricing,” says Toshita Chauhan from Policybazaar. “Syria, however, remains largely excluded from most mainstream policies.”
This insurance challenge reflects a broader shift in traveller behaviour across the region. More broadly, travel insurance has become perhaps the least expected summer accessory of 2025. Chauhan reports a 40 per cent month-on-month increase in comprehensive policy take-up, and links it not only to recent regional travel disruption, but also to rising overall trip costs. “People in the region are now seeing travel insurance less as an optional add-on, and much more of a travel essential. With airfares so high, the cost of not being covered is simply too great,” she says.
As the summer season reaches its crescendo, the UAE's airports and airlines are operating at full capacity, but so are traveller expectations with no slowdown when it comes to getting away. And for those who are prepared to be flexible, plan ahead and venture someplace new, summer experiences that won't break the bank may still be within reach.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Read more about the coronavirus
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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One-off T20 International: UAE v Australia
When: Monday, October 22, 2pm start
Where: Abu Dhabi Cricket, Oval 1
Tickets: Admission is free
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Darcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Peter Siddle
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- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
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- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
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- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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RESULT
Al Hilal 4 Persepolis 0
Khribin (31', 54', 89'), Al Shahrani 40'
Red card: Otayf (Al Hilal, 49')
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
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Job: Fitness entrepreneur, body-builder and trainer
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite quote: We must become the change we want to see, by Mahatma Gandhi.
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