How much does evacuation from Dubai cost: charter prices have risen sharply
This was reported by the Financial Times.
Due to the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, tourists and employees of international companies are increasingly looking for opportunities to leave Dubai. Against this backdrop, demand for charter flights and private transport has risen sharply.
According to insurance companies that specialise in crisis protection for clients, businesses are spending tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars to evacuate employees from the region.
The most expensive option remains the use of private jets. According to one insurer, evacuating a family of two adults and two children can cost up to $250,000.
The industry also notes that charter aircraft prices have roughly doubled since last weekend.
At the same time, prices for ground transportation have risen sharply. Renting a taxi or private minibus from Dubai to Muscat in Oman or Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, which have become popular destinations for those leaving the city, now costs thousands of dollars instead of a few hundred as before.
According to one insurance company executive, the cost of such trips already exceeds $5,000, while commercial flights are almost non-existent.
The conflict in the region has been going on for five days now. Although some flights from the emirate have begun to resume after several days of suspension, more and more residents and company employees are trying to leave the city.
Daria Guristrimba, head of Globe7, a travel agency for wealthy clients, noted that until Tuesday, people remained relatively calm and did not plan to leave, but now more and more residents are deciding to leave the country and head to Oman.
The departure of families is also evidenced by the increase in requests for flights with pets. Charles Robinson, founder of EnterJet, said that over the past day, there has been a significant increase in requests for evacuation with animals.
Despite the partial resumption of air traffic with Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the number of flights remains limited. Emirates, Flydubai and Etihad are operating individual flights to return passengers.
At the same time, Qatar Airways flights remain cancelled due to the closure of Qatar's airspace. As a result, tens of thousands of passengers who were supposed to fly out of the region's major airports remain stranded.
The governments of a number of countries are also organising special repatriation flights. In particular, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy are trying to bring their citizens home.
For example, Air France and KLM each operated one flight from Muscat on 3 March, and Germany's Lufthansa plans to fly from the city to evacuate German citizens.
