Skip to content Skip to Search
Skip navigation

Russian flight prices to Dubai soar as Putin orders army call-up

Airport, Airfield, Airplane Emirates
Air travel from Russia to the UAE this year exceeded pre-pandemic levels by 27%

One-way ticket prices to Dubai from Russia have skyrocketed after President Vladimir Putin ordered the immediate call-up of 300,000 reservists.

Flights to Dubai cost more than 300,000 roubles ($5,000), nearly five times the average monthly wage, Reuters reported.

Direct flights from Moscow to Istanbul, Turkey and Yerevan, Armenia, which allow visa-free entry, were sold out on Wednesday, according to Aviasales data.

One-way fares to Turkey shot up to almost 70,000 roubles ($1,150), compared with a little over 22,000 roubles a week ago, Google Flights data shows.

Some routes with stopovers, including those from Moscow to Tbilisi, Georgia, were unavailable.

Air travel from Russia to the UAE during the first eight months of the year exceeded pre-pandemic levels by 27 percent, AGBI reported, citing London-based global travel data and analytics firm ForwardKeys.

Olivier Ponti, vice president of insights at ForwardKeys, said that flight bookings for the next four months, covering September to December 2022, are 112 percent ahead (as of August 17) compared to the same period in 2019.

According to Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, Western Europe accounted for 22 percent of tourist arrivals, while Russia, CIS, and Eastern Europe together accounted for 11 percent of total visitors.

Putin’s announcement, made in an early-morning television address, raised fears that some men of fighting age would not be allowed to leave the country.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the call-up would be limited to those with experience as professional soldiers, and that students and conscripts would not be called up.

Latest articles

A sheep farm in Pukekohe, North Island, New Zealand. The country exported meat worth $155m to the GCC in 2023

New Zealand agrees free-trade deal with GCC

The GCC has agreed a new free-trade deal with New Zealand. The agreement will give duty-free access to 99 percent of New Zealand exports over 10 years, according to New Zealand trade minister Todd McClay.  McClay said the agreement was the culmination of an 18-year-long ambition to agree a trade deal in the Middle East. […]

A Saudi man walks at the Tadawul Saudi Stock Exchange, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Kuwaiti companies looking at Saudi exchange listings

Kuwaiti companies are eyeing up opportunities to list on Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul exchange, according to reports. It comes almost two years since deals were signed between market regulators in both Gulf states to explore collaboration around cross-listings on the Tadawul and Kuwait’s bourse. Firas Al-Salem, chairman of the Kuwaiti Business Council, said that listings could […]

The Riyadh monorail will connect with the Metro running through King Abdullah Financial District

Driverless monorail planned for Riyadh’s financial district

An agreement to launch a driverless monorail project has been signed by King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in the Saudi capital Riyadh. The 3.6-kilometre system will have six trains travelling on an elevated circular track that will wind between the main towers of the district.  The system will have six stations across the district, connecting […]

Delegates watch PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan speak at FII in Riyadh. He said Saudi Arabia is focusing on domestic investment

PIF signs Japan and Hong Kong pacts worth $52bn

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth up to $51 billion with five Japanese banks.  The kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund said the agreements cover a variety of areas, including encouraging two-way capital flows through both debt and equity.  The agreements were signed with Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, MUFG […]