Air capacity between New Zealand and the Middle East is set to jump this week, as Kiwi demand for flights via Dubai and Doha starts to build.
Qatar Airways is resuming flights ex Auckland from Thursday (since pausing AKL operations on 28 Feb), operating via Adelaide to Doha daily. And Emirates will resume daily AKL-DXB services from Fri.
House of Travel boss David Coombes says demand is growing for flights through the Middle East, with the firm’s booking data showing confidence is building.
“Demand fell when conflict broke out and closed airspace across the region, but in recent weeks we’ve seen Emirates return to be one of our top-selling airlines with most bookings for Aug through Oct, which is peak European summer.’’
. . . 2027
Helloworld Travel, too reports solid booking growth aligned to the restored EK and QR schedules, ‘with strong demand across key 2026 European departures and encouraging forward momentum already into 2027’, says HLO New Zealand gm Chris Hunter.
Meanwhile Flight Centre Travel Group says the rebuild is gradual and that customer confidence is still catching up.
“We’re seeing interest, but most bookings are being made for 2027 rather than in the near term,” says Flight Centre Travel Group New Zealand air product manager Jen Staples. Asia routing has become the clear preference for Kiwis heading to Europe, she adds. “Singapore is our most popular gateway, and Chinese carriers have added more capacity to meet demand.”
But as the situation stabilises and advisories are lifted FCTG expects Middle East routing to regain popularity. “…the appetite is there, and Emirates and Qatar have a loyal following in New Zealand,” says Staples.
. . . Warnings
Government site SafeTravel continues to advise against travel to almost all countries in the Middle East with its strongest level 4 warning and that affects insurance for travellers.
“We also note with interest that travel advisories remain more restrictive for the UAE and Qatar than Saudi Arabia, although being in the same region,” says Hunter. “Despite this contrast, it is encouraging to see travellers continuing to show confidence in transiting these major hub markets.”
