Emirates denies reports of expat exodus

The Middle East’s leading airline, Emirates, has dismissed reports of an exodus leaving the country. The airline notes there has been no change in the number of one-way flights from Dubai International Airport compared to previous years.

“We do not provide a detailed breakdown of our ticket sales, but we can confirm that the number of one-way tickets being booked out of the region is no different than in previous years - accounting for less than one per cent of total bookings,” said an Emirates spokesperson.

“The Gulf region is a notoriously ‘last minute’ market for travel bookings, with many travellers holding out for special deals, but we are indeed seeing a pick up in travel demand for the coming months, which is good news for all in the industry.”

Some newspapers have reported that some of the Dubai expatriate population is departing from the country without notice, leaving cars, houses and debts behind.
The New Zealand Herald reported recently that in a new development of returning expats to their home country, some 24,500 Kiwis returned in the four months of this year. A number of these were on flights from the United Arab Emirates.

The Herald claimed that there “were reportedly 90,000 one-way tickets” booked for May alone out of Dubai.

The Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department has consistently denied claims of an expat exodus The Department states that the DNRD currently receives more incoming visa applications per month than monthly visa cancellations.

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