Demand for private charter flights from the Middle East has skyrocketed since the US-Israel-Iran conflict began, with those who can afford it paying astronomical prices to leave the region.
The war, which began on February 28, has caused the biggest disruption to air travel across the Gulf region since the coronavirus pandemic, with airspace closures due to sustained missile and drone attacks severely disrupting commercial airline operations.
“Demand for private charters has increased significantly in recent days as commercial airline schedules have become limited or unreliable in some parts of the region,” John Matthews, founder and chairman of private jet company AirX, told CNN on Tuesday.
While tens of thousands of travelers are stranded and some airlines are now restarting a limited number of routes, airlines with extremely deep pockets have found a way around the disruption: chartering private jets.
“We are seeing requests from large groups that still need to move together, such as ultra-high-net-worth families and relocating senior executives at multinational companies, as well as sports teams and touring productions,” he added.
Bernard Vorster, CEO of private charter company SHY Aviation, told CNN that the number of private jet flights from Oman’s capital Muscat, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh increased from 10 to 15 on a normal day to 98 last Wednesday.
Forster said increased demand, a limited number of aircraft available and higher insurance premiums are contributing to higher-than-usual prices, as well as the fact that planes almost always return to the region with empty seats, meaning customers pay for round-trip travel.
One flight took a group of 12 people and their dog on a five-hour journey from Muscat to Istanbul, Turkey, costing $145,000, he added.
Vorster said the same flight would have cost about $60,000 before the conflict, an increase of 142%.
Muscat and Riyadh were the preferred departure airports at the beginning of the conflict due to their predictable airspace and flight paths, but they have since become more popular as the Emirate of Dubai is home to many people looking to leave the region, Vorster explained.
“Istanbul’s proximity to the region makes it the most popular destination,” Vorster said, adding that other destinations include Athens and Mumbai.
However, private charters cannot significantly reduce travel disruption in the Middle East, both for reasons of affordability and lack of transport capacity.
“Private charters cannot replace the scale of a commercial aviation network, but they can provide controlled mobility for organizations and groups that need to move quickly if scheduled flights are disrupted,” Matthews said, adding that AirX secured a charter worth about 1 million euros (about $1.16 million) last week for an aircraft with 100 lie-flat seats.
Vorster also acknowledged that private charters would have a limited impact on the broader crisis due to low passenger numbers.
“The average private jet has 12 passengers and crew, and although there are still only about 40 to 50 aircraft available in the region, the numbers[of travelers]are relatively small,” Vorster said, adding that about 120 people have left the Middle East on flights arranged by his company in the past week.
Tens of thousands of people are now trying to flee the region, and various governments around the world are working to provide repatriation flights after the conflict has severely disrupted commercial airline operations.
The U.S. State Department announced Monday that it had operated more than two dozen charter flights to evacuate thousands of Americans from the region, with a senior official adding that “commercial air flight availability across the region continues to improve.”
