In early 2011, India became Dubai’s biggest tourism source after 186,478 travellers from India stayed in hotels across Dubai through to March.
Passenger demand on routes that link the UAE and India is becoming more competitive – Emirates and Etihad have reduced Air India’s market share on these routes, while Air Arabia and flydubai have expanded their networks to include Hyderabad, Mumbai, Lucknow, Delhi and Chennai.
The forthcoming launch of international flights by India’s fastest growing carrier, IndiGo, with plans to link 14 destinations across India to Dubai may present some competition for UAE based carriers. IndiGo features return flights to Dubai starting at US$222.
