Stranded passengers in Dubai hire private flights: Demand for chartered planes soars
There are also those who try to pool in resources with other flyers or families to charter private planes, sharing expenses.
There are also those who try to pool in resources with other flyers or families to charter private planes, sharing expenses.
There are also those who try to pool in resources with other flyers or families to charter private planes, sharing expenses.
At a time when thousands of flyers are still stuck in various Gulf airports, some of them are apparently hiring private flights to Europe, to be safe from the drone and missile attacks. The wealthy travellers are paying huge sums for the luxury flights, and thus, their demand has skyrocketed. Certain flyers are even ready to pay up to 200,000 euros (USD 232,000), reports PTI. There are also those who try to pool in resources with other flyers or families to charter private planes, sharing expenses.
They are apparently trying to evacuate by flying either to Oman or Riyadh, then boarding commercial or chartered flights to their desired destinations. Altay Kula, CEO of the France-based private jet broker JET-VIP, told PTI, "The demand is huge, and we can't deliver enough aircraft to respond to the demand." Generally, a chartered plane can accommodate around 16 flyers from Riyadh to Portugal, and it may cost around 100,000 euros (USD 115,800). However, now, flyers have to pay double the price, according to Kula. He says this is due to the scarcity of aircraft, risk factors, and repositioning costs.
Factors that determine cost
Ameerh Naran, CEO of Vimana Private Jets, said that the price of chartered flights varies based on factors such as aircraft type, departure location, and route constraints. Flights from the Gulf region to Europe are priced between 150,000 euros (USD 173,800) and 200,000 euros, for instance. Some flyers are also hiring private security companies that coordinate transportation in vehicles ranging from cars to coach buses to reach airports such as Muscat and Riyadh. They have to wait for up to four hours at border points like Oman, due to heavy traffic.
Who is hiring private flights
Ian McCaul, operations and planning director with Alma Risk, a UK-based risk management and security firm, said that those paying high prices to leave are mostly stranded passengers. Apparently, he has made arrangements for around 200 people following recent developments. Those hiring the services include business executives, families, entreprenuers and remote workers. Most private flights are leaving from Oman, according to Elie Hanna, CEO of the Middle East headquarters of Air Charter Service, based in Dubai.
(With inputs from PTI)