Demand Soars for Charter Flights as Wealthy Tourists Keen to Exit the Gulf

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Waves of airstrikes in the Middle East in recent days have prompted major airports in the region to cancel commercial flights, leading to the surge in demand for charter flights. 

On Monday, two days after the start of the US and Israeli war against Iran, flights from the United Arab Emirates were still few and far between. The two major airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi were affected by the conflict. Major destinations, including Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait, also had to close due to airspace restrictions.

According to Business Insider, wealthy travelers rented vehicles to get out of the Gulf, chartering hundreds of dollars worth of flights with chauffered drivers to escape the region.

Glenn Phillips, PR and advertising manager at global charter firm Air Charter Service, said there has been an increase in charter flight demand. “There are an increasingly limited number of aircraft willing and able to fly to and from the area,” he told Business Insider on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.

Wealthy travelers and expatriates in financial hubs such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi are scrambling for rides to reach Oman or Saudi Arabia. These two countries are the destinations of choice because they have kept their airspace open until Monday. They are spending hours in cars to reach the airport, while border crossing queues are growing longer every day.

Dubai Airport has allowed limited commercial flights on Monday night, but operations have slowed due to missile threats.

Air Charter Service operated many evacuation flights from Muscat, Oman. The flights were scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Before boarding the plane, passengers had to travel by land for five hours, plus an additional three to four hours of waiting time at the Hatta border. According to Phillips, his clients did not care where they were going, as long as they could get out of there.

As reported by The Guardian, Alexandra Vavilova, a Russian tourist vacationing in Dubai, said she managed to get one of the last tickets available on Monday night: a flight from Muscat to Colombo, Sri Lanka. This meant she had to go to Muscat via the land border at Hatta before flying.

Charter Flights' Fantastic Fares

The wealthy are willing to pay fantastic prices for charter flights. Jay Smedley, owner of the luxury concierge company Dubai Key, said the cost could reach up to $200,000 or around Rp3.4 billion. Dubai Key itself has arranged short-haul private charter flights to Istanbul, Cairo, and the Maldives for clients since demand began to increase on Saturday.

Flights to Europe can be even more expensive. Ameerh Naran, CEO of Vimana Private Jets, said the company charges between $175,000 or nearly Rp3 billion and $235,000 or almost Rp4 billion for flights.

In Muscat, private jet rental prices have also skyrocketed. JetVip, a private jet brokerage based in Muscat, told The Guardian that flights to Istanbul with Nextant now cost around €85,000 or approximately Rp1.7 billion, three times the usual price. Seats on private charter flights to Moscow are being sold for around €20,000 or Rp392 million per person.

Read: Indonesia's Soekarno-Hatta Reschedules 39 Middle East Flights

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