Dubai private jets hit £100k a trip as the wealthy flee Iran strikes | UK | News
Emirates aircraft are parked at Dubai International Airport after closure on Sunday, March 1, 2026 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) (Image: AP)
Wealthy holidaymakers are paying up to £100,000 to escape the Middle East by private jet following the closure of major airports.
Thousands of additional flights across the region were grounded on Monday, stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers as global air travel faced widespread disruptions caused by the US and Israel’s war against Iran.
Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone attacks resulted in the closure of Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport on Saturday.
Dubai Airports confirmed on Monday that a limited number of flights from both hubs would resume later today.
However, some tourists stranded in the UAE have taken action themselves, spending more than £100,000 on private jets or traveling nearly 10 hours to reach operational airports in Oman and Saudi Arabia, Forbes reports.
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Altay Kula, a spokesman for private jet broker JetVIP, said demand for private jets has increased even though fewer operators are willing to fly in the region.
James Leach of Air Charter Service said many local planes normally used for private flights were stuck at closed airports, forcing jets to fly from further afield and increasing costs.
Both spokespeople confirmed that airports in Muscat, Oman and, to a lesser extent, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, due to visa restrictions, have become major travel hubs amid the chaos.
According to Mr. Kula, the majority of evacuation flights go to Istanbul, London or Rome.
It revealed that light jet flights from Muscat to Istanbul cost more than $93,000 (£70,000) (roughly double the standard price), while heavy jet charters reached $140,000 (£105,000).
There’s hope for stranded Brits as limited flights resume in Dubai after missile attacks (Image: X)
According to Semafor, private security companies also use SUVs to transport their customers to operational airports for their private flights.
More than 4,000 flights per day have been canceled across the region since Saturday, according to flight tracking service Flightradar24.
UAE national carrier Etihad Airways suspended most services until 10am GMT on Wednesday, while some departures continued on Monday, including a flight to London Heathrow that landed at 7.17pm GMT, according to its flight tracker.
According to Flightradar24, additional Etihad flights have started to destinations such as Moscow, Paris, Cairo, Delhi and Karachi.
The airline said: “Some repositioning, cargo and repatriation flights may be operated in coordination with UAE authorities and are subject to stringent operational and security approvals.”
