Four lucky expats from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh have each taken home Dh150,000 in the latest Big Ticket Series 274 draw held in Abu Dhabi, and most of them won through free bonus tickets.

Sharjah-based Indian driver wins after years of trying

Kamalasanan Omana Riji, a 52-year-old driver from Kerala, India, has lived in Sharjah for 18 years. He has been buying Big Ticket entries every month with a group of 10 friends.

“I was on my way to work and missed the call. Then my friend rang me up and told me I’d won. I checked my email, and it was true. We’ll divide the prize equally.”

Bangladeshi worker wins through free ticket

Shohag Nurul Islam, a 44-year-old municipality worker from Bangladesh, also lives in Sharjah and has been entering the draw for five years with 10 friends.

He won through a free ticket. “My first priority is to share it with the group.”

Pakistani warehouse manager wins with individual entry

Imran Aftab, a 46-year-old warehouse manager in Dubai, joined several Big Ticket groups over the years and only recently started buying tickets individually, and it paid off.

“I didn’t get the call, but received a text. I checked online and was stunned. This was my first win, and it came from an individual ticket,” he said.

Bahrain-based Indian expat also wins with free ticket

Prasantha Thottethody Marappa, a 48-year-old mechanical fitter from Kerala, living in Bahrain, has been part of a group entry for the last five years. “We’ll divide the prize among our group and continue playing,” he said.

Dh20 million Grand Prize

This month, Big Ticket is offering a grand prize of Dh20 million to be drawn on June 3. There are also weekly cash draws and other exciting promotions. Tickets can be purchased online or at Zayed International Airport and Al Ain Airport.

Airlines, including Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air, have announced full refunds and rescheduling waivers for passengers affected by flight disruptions across several Indian cities, a move that has impacted thousands of UAE-based Indian travellers.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Air India said it is experiencing high call volumes due to the disruptions but assured passengers that full refunds and a one-time waiver on rescheduling fees are available for impacted flights booked until May 10, 2025.

“For customers whose flights are impacted by the current disruptions, Air India is offering a full refund for cancellations and a one-time waiver on rescheduling fees,” said the airline, which operates daily flights between the UAE and Indian cities like Delhi, Amritsar, and Srinagar.

The airline is also offering extended flexibility for some categories of travellers, including those holding concessionary fares, allowing full refunds on cancellations and waived change fees for travel booked through May 31, with changes allowed up to June 30.

IndiGo, another major budget carrier serving UAE-India routes, confirmed disruptions to and from Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Leh, Chandigarh, and Dharamsala, citing changing airspace conditions. The airline is offering a full waiver of change and cancellation fees for travel to or from Srinagar until May 22, for bookings made before April 22.

SpiceJet and Akasa Air also issued advisories, with SpiceJet suspending flights to and from key northern Indian destinations “until further notice.”

What UAE Travellers Should Do

• Check with your airline for the latest updates on cancelled or rescheduled flights.
• Passengers can claim full refunds or reschedule without penalty on eligible flights.
• Travellers are encouraged to use online refund forms or contact airline service centres, though delays are expected due to high demand.
• Residents flying to India for the summer break or upcoming school holidays should verify their itineraries if flying to affected cities.

With the UAE being home to a large Indian expat community, the airline advisories are expected to impact many family travel plans.

The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) has decided to keep its Base Rate unchanged at 4.40%, following the US Federal Reserve’s move to hold interest rates steady.

This rate applies to the Overnight Deposit Facility (ODF) and acts as a guide for short-term interest rates in the country.

The CBUAE also confirmed that the interest rate for borrowing short-term funds from the central bank will remain 50 basis points (0.50%) above the Base Rate.

The Base Rate is linked to the US Federal Reserve’s Interest Rate on Reserve Balances (IORB) and reflects the UAE’s overall monetary policy direction.