Tens of thousands of airline passengers are stranded by the Iran war that has spread across the Gulf region, but some wealthy travelers are getting out—by paying large sums for luxury flights to Europe via airports that are safe from Iranian drone and missile attacks. Demand for charter flights has skyrocketed, with some people paying up to 200,000 euros ($232,000) with major airports in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar shut down, per the AP.
Travelers from the UAE's Dubai, usually known as a safe and luxurious destination, are seeking to evacuate by traveling overland either to Muscat, Oman, about a four-hour drive, or to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, more than 10 hours away. Then they board one of the few available commercial flights or take a charter flight, whose costs have soared since the start of the war. "The demand is huge, and we can't deliver enough aircraft to respond to the demand," said Altay Kula, CEO of the France-based private jet broker JET-VIP.
Whereas normally a charter flight on a private jet that can accommodate up to 16 passengers from Riyadh to Porto in Portugal may cost around 100,000 euros ($115,800) these days, the cost has doubled. Ian McCaul of Alma Risk, a UK risk management and security firm, estimates his company has made transfer arrangements for more than 200 people and advised several others in recent days. Those seeking to leave are predominantly stranded travelers, as opposed to residents, he said.
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