India’s busiest international air corridor is about to get even more competitive. Civil-aviation officials on Sunday confirmed that Kochi-based Al Hind Air and Hyderabad-headquartered FlyExpress have both secured ‘no-objection certificates’—the final green light before applying for Air Operator Certificates. The entrants plan to launch domestic shakedown flights in early 2026 and roll out non-stop services to Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi by Q4.
The India–UAE market already sees more than 1,000 weekly frequencies, driven by 3.5 million Indian expatriates plus surging leisure and education traffic. Yet fares remain volatile: a one-way Dubai–Delhi ticket can swing between AED 350 and AED 1,200 depending on season. Analysts at CAPA India estimate that every five-percent capacity increase trims average fares by two percent; Al Hind and FlyExpress together will add roughly seven percent capacity in their first year.
Al Hind Air is backed by the Alhind Group, a mega travel-recruitment conglomerate that handles Gulf visas and worker deployment. Expect bundled ‘fly-and-process’ products that package tickets with UAE work-permit filing—an attractive proposition for blue-collar migrants. FlyExpress, by contrast, will operate Airbus A321 ‘combi’ jets that carry both passengers and time-critical e-commerce cargo; its network logic is to connect tier-2 cities such as Nagpur or Coimbatore directly to the Gulf, saving travellers a domestic hop.
![Two New Carriers Poised to Slash India–UAE Fares in 2026, Say Regulators]()
For travellers and HR teams juggling the new flight options with sometimes-tricky UAE visa paperwork, digital services such as VisaHQ can streamline the process. From its India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/), the platform handles tourist, business and residency applications, offers real-time tracking and even arranges courier pickup of passports—making it easier to synchronise ticket bookings with visa approvals as capacity and fare deals multiply.
Corporate mobility managers stand to gain immediate negotiating leverage. Large IT exporters that rotate engineers between Bengaluru and Dubai every 60 days spend millions on air tickets; even a 5 percent fare drop translates into crores in savings. However, HR teams should watch bilateral seat-entitlement talks—India and the UAE have nearly exhausted their current quota, so further expansion may hinge on a new air-services agreement.
Travellers should also note the operational debut of Navi Mumbai International Airport, which offers sizeable slot availability and ‘introductory’ landing-fee discounts. Several incumbents, including Akasa Air and Air India Express, have already migrated flights, opening the door to multi-airport pricing strategies for cost-conscious flyers.
The India–UAE market already sees more than 1,000 weekly frequencies, driven by 3.5 million Indian expatriates plus surging leisure and education traffic. Yet fares remain volatile: a one-way Dubai–Delhi ticket can swing between AED 350 and AED 1,200 depending on season. Analysts at CAPA India estimate that every five-percent capacity increase trims average fares by two percent; Al Hind and FlyExpress together will add roughly seven percent capacity in their first year.
Al Hind Air is backed by the Alhind Group, a mega travel-recruitment conglomerate that handles Gulf visas and worker deployment. Expect bundled ‘fly-and-process’ products that package tickets with UAE work-permit filing—an attractive proposition for blue-collar migrants. FlyExpress, by contrast, will operate Airbus A321 ‘combi’ jets that carry both passengers and time-critical e-commerce cargo; its network logic is to connect tier-2 cities such as Nagpur or Coimbatore directly to the Gulf, saving travellers a domestic hop.
For travellers and HR teams juggling the new flight options with sometimes-tricky UAE visa paperwork, digital services such as VisaHQ can streamline the process. From its India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/), the platform handles tourist, business and residency applications, offers real-time tracking and even arranges courier pickup of passports—making it easier to synchronise ticket bookings with visa approvals as capacity and fare deals multiply.
Corporate mobility managers stand to gain immediate negotiating leverage. Large IT exporters that rotate engineers between Bengaluru and Dubai every 60 days spend millions on air tickets; even a 5 percent fare drop translates into crores in savings. However, HR teams should watch bilateral seat-entitlement talks—India and the UAE have nearly exhausted their current quota, so further expansion may hinge on a new air-services agreement.
Travellers should also note the operational debut of Navi Mumbai International Airport, which offers sizeable slot availability and ‘introductory’ landing-fee discounts. Several incumbents, including Akasa Air and Air India Express, have already migrated flights, opening the door to multi-airport pricing strategies for cost-conscious flyers.
