Travel: With Competitors Fly Dubai & Al-Arabia Banned Ethiopian Airlines Hikes Fares
Hargeisa (SLSUN)—-The airfares paid by passengers plying between Somaliland and other parts of the world have risen significantly.The fare costs changes became effective immediately after, Somaliland suspended all restrictions imposed when the Corona virus was termed a pandemic.
Though the pandemic shares a measure of responsibility due to stringent conditions imposed on international movement but the main factor is in the huge reduction of airliners thence flights to and from Somaliland,Prior to the outbreak of Covid_19 in Somaliland and the rest of the world, various international airliners operated daily regular passenger flights from and to the Egal International Airport in Hargeisa among them Ethiopian Airlines, Air Arabia and Fly Dubai among others.
But due to some dispute that emanated prior to Covid-19 restrictions between the Somaliland civil Aviation and Airport authority the two Emirati airliners of Air Arabia and Fly Dubai remain suspended thence the entire international flights solely the domain of Ethiopian Airlines.Devoid of this competition in addition to other Virus related constraints fares paid by Somaliland inbound and outbound passengers has risen sharply.
For example an ante Covid-19 restrictions round-trip Somaliland -Turkey ticket on Ethiopian Airlines used to be $580 which is now priced at $ 970. Similarly, now anyone who wants to leave and return from Dubai will have to pay $ 650. Round -trip passengers Hargeisa Nairobi who used to pay $489 are now being charged $699. Agents who do bookings in Somaliland flight operating airlines have told Geeska Afrika newspaper that although prices have fluctuated, sometimes they vary depending on the number of passengers or season. , for example in the summer when there are a lot of people the cost of flights is cheaper.
