UAE residents no longer need to wait three months or more for a Schengen visa to enter Europe. This will certainly help boost business-related travel to the EU as the UAE gears up for a new season post-summer.
At the moment, Schengen visa appointments are available, but their availability depends on the country or embassy UAE-based travelers are applying to, according to Raheesh Babu, Chief Operating Officer at Musafir.com. “Some countries can’t still take visa appointments until October.”
Airline rates to Europe are expected to dip from the first week of September, according to travel agents. Currently, flights to Amsterdam can cost between Dh3,000 and Dh4,000, and in September they will cost between Dh1,500 and Dh2,500. A one-way ticket to Berlin will cost at least Dh3,000 right now, but drop to half next month.
Currently, airlines charge Dh2,500 for a flight to Madrid, but fares are not expected to change much in the near future. On the Paris route, the cheapest flight ticket in the first week of September will be almost half of fares being charged right now.
A travel agent told me that fuel prices, which are still quite high, won't allow fares to return to pre-pandemic levels for some time to come. “Although leisure travel will drop significantly in the coming weeks, corporate travel will continue to rise.”
Emirates airline introduced Premium Economy on flights to London and Paris to help business travelers.
Delays in flights
It is likely that the region's season of air travel chaos will continue into the Fall despite falling flight cancellation rates in Europe. In Spain, Ryanair staff have planned weekly strikes until January 7, 2023, while in Portugal, aviation workers are taking several days of industrial action in August.
The pent-up demand for travel has been difficult for airlines to handle. A lack of planning by operators and how to schedule ahead of the summer peak travel have been contributing factors to the ongoing chaos at airports. London’s Heathrow and Amsterdam’s Schiphol are limiting daily flights or passenger numbers.
An airport compensation scheme was introduced last month to compensate passengers who missed their flights due to unprecedented security control wait times between April 23 and August 11.
"A lot of people have been looking forward to their holidays abroad, especially after two years of Covid," said Dick Benschop, CEO of Schiphol. “During these special times and circumstances, we must not let these people fall through the cracks.”
Capacity growth
Western Europe emerged as the largest regional aviation market in the week ending August 15, despite disruptions.
The number of seats deployed by airlines is up 36 percent from the same period last year, but still down 11 percent from 2019. “This is an ‘enjoy it while you can’ moment for Western Europe as this is a function of the different school holiday seasons in each market,” wrote aviation analyst John Grant in an OAG article. “Come September normal service will resume.
According to Grant, more flights started to London and other European destinations in China last week, which is a 'positive' sign. "Once weekly frequencies are symbolic statements, but they are a start toward the previous 80 flights per week.".