Some travelers stranded by disrupted travel routes during the Iran war have found a way out—by paying for private flights and the security and ground transport needed to reach the small number of airports still operating, according to brokers and security providers contacted by the Associated Press.
The pressure has spread across the Gulf region as the conflict began last weekend, closing major airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. With Tens of thousands of airline passengers stranded, some wealthy travelers are still getting out, but they are doing so by booking luxury flights to Europe via airports that they and operators consider safer from Iranian drone and missile attacks.
JET-VIP, a France-based private jet broker, said the demand has been “huge” and that it “can’t deliver enough aircraft to respond to the demand,” as CEO Altay Kula described. Kula said prices for private jets have risen sharply because of aircraft scarcity, repositioning costs, and operator risk assessments, and he said the increase reflects those factors rather than “speculative pricing.”
Kula said that whereas a charter flight using a private jet that can accommodate up to 16 passengers from Riyadh to Porto in Portugal may normally cost around 100,000 euros, “these days” the cost has doubled. He also said prices can vary with the departure point, the aircraft type, and route constraints, noting that different pricing applies to different legs of an evacuation itinerary.
Vimana Private Jets CEO Ameerh Naran said charter prices for flights from the Gulf region to Europe are ranging from 150,000 euros to 200,000 euros. He described a range of clients booking evacuations, including business executives, families and entrepreneurs, and remote workers who had been based in the region.
Because leaving is often limited by where aircraft can safely depart, some travelers are first making overland trips to reach functional airports. Travelers from Dubai are described as trying to evacuate either by driving to Muscat, Oman—about a four-hour drive—or to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which is more than 10 hours away, before boarding a remaining commercial flight or a charter when one is available.
Ian McCaul, operations and planning director with Alma Risk, said due to heavy traffic, wait times at border points with Oman can be up to four hours and that costs can range in the thousands of dollars. He said those seeking to leave are “predominantly stranded travelers, as opposed to residents,” and he estimated his company has arranged transfers for more than 200 people while advising others in recent days.
Elie Hanna, CEO of Air Charter Service’s Middle East headquarters in Dubai, said most flights out of the region are leaving from Oman and that prices are high because few charter planes are available after many aircraft get stuck at airports that are now closed. He said clients include people who already regularly charter private jets as well as travelers trying to pool resources with other passengers or families to share costs.
Hanna said the people he has been dealing with are experiencing widespread stress and that Muscat Airport is overloaded with flights. Experts at International SOS, a security and health services company, said they expect the fighting to continue affecting transportation and energy infrastructure for weeks.