Airfares hiked by 30% in Saudi Arabia

Jeddah, Jun 1: International airlines operating in the Kingdom have raised their fares to make maximum profit during the summer season when thousands of Saudis and expatriates travel abroad to spend their vacation.

Khalil Al-Nashmi, assistant director of a travel agency in Dammam, said some international airlines raised airfares by 30 percent to destinations like Istanbul and Kuala Lumpur, which are favorite holiday destinations for Saudis.

Turkish Airlines raised the price of its tickets from Dammam to Istanbul from SR 1,200 to SR 3,500. SriLankan raised the price to Kuala Lumpur from SR 1,800 to SR 3,800.

He said the hikes are applicable to other Arab and Gulf airlines; the prices for these companies from Dammam to Istanbul rose from SR 2,000 to SR 4,500. He attributed the hike to an increase in airline waiting charges at the airport as well as rise in fuel prices.

Mohammed Abdul Rahman of Transworld Travel in Jeddah, said airlines had adopted an automatic system to increase prices at peak times of holiday seasons. “When there is high demand, the prices automatically go up. We can see this fare change by just watching their websites,” he said, adding that all airlines are fully booked during this summer season that coincides with Ramadan, Umrah season, school vacation and exodus of illegals.

“There is no government control on fares. It is mainly determined by the demand and supply factor,” Abdul Rahman told Arab News. Some airlines, he said, offer about 20 different fares on a single sector. “Most flights operating to and from Jeddah are full because of Umrah rush,” he pointed out.

According to Al-Nashmi, the parking fees on planes at Saudi airports were higher than the fees in neighboring airports like Bahrain, Kuwait and UAE. But GACA spokesman said he was not aware of the fee hike.

“A number of neighboring airports consider parking fees to be suitable and competitive to international airline companies,” Al-Nashmi said and urged Saudi authorities to review its decision to increase parking charges.

Mohammad Ayyash, a travel agent in Dammam, said Saudi families paid more than SR 40,000 to travel outside the Gulf. “If they go to the same destination from Bahrain they only pay SR 29,000, and SR 24,000 if they go from Kuwait,” he said. Saudis are expected to spend SR 40 billion on foreign tourism this year.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

Comments