A new online travel agency (OTA), lastminute.ae, has officially launched in the Middle East, offering great last-minute travel deals and affordable travel options.

Born from a strategic partnership with European travel tech leader in dynamic packages, lastminute.com, the new regional OTA promises seamless booking experiences for destinations worldwide.

The launch comes as the region experiences rapid growth in tourism, with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait seeing significant increases in online flight bookings. lastminute.ae aims to capitalise on this trend, leveraging lastminute.com‘s technological expertise and local knowledge to provide travellers with the best possible range and price for flights.

Regional travel surge expected in 2025

The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority forecasts passenger traffic at UAE airports to reach 150 million by the end of 2025.

In Saudi Arabia, the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah witnessed a 15% surge in passenger traffic, serving 49.1 million travelers in 2024. Meanwhile, Kuwait City airport has also experienced steady growth, with its new triangular terminal, slated to open in 2025, poised to boost capacity to 50 million passengers annually.

To cater to this demand, new airport infrastructure projects are underway, including the construction of a new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai.

lastminute.ae‘s General Manager, Yiannis Papadonikolakis, stated, “We are excited to be launching in the Middle East, the next key growth area in world travel. Our customer-first approach means our focus is on making booking flights as easy and cost-effective as possible for everyone who visits our website. It’s been made-to-measure to regional requirements on where, when and how travellers want to fly.

“Our local knowledge, contacts and content, coupled with 25 years plus experience of lastminute.com in building new markets, means we are perfectly positioned to harness the big boom in Middle Eastern travel.”