US EditionSome travelers stranded in Dubai are paying huge sums for private flights out
Demand for private charters from Dubai has surged, with prices doubling to over $93,000 for some routes amid airport closures and regional conflict, brokers report.
- On Tuesday, March 3, 2026, stranded travelers in Dubai scrambled to leave after airport closures, with some wealthy paying up to 200,000 euros for private charters to Europe.
- Cirium recorded about 19,000 flight cancellations in four days as Iran's retaliatory strikes spread fighting across the Gulf region, disrupting air travel.
- Air charter brokers say scarce aircraft and repositioning costs are driving prices upward while travelers take multi-hour overland transfers via the Hatta crossing to Muscat or Riyadh.
- Late Monday, the U.S. State Department urged Americans to 'depart now' as Muscat Airport became overloaded and Air Charter Service arranged more than 10 evacuation flights amid 19,000 canceled flights.
- With Middle East tourism valued at about $367 billion annually, Tourism Economics warns of a $34 billion to $56 billion loss and about 8,450 vacation rental cancellations in the UAE this year.
85 Articles
85 Articles
The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been hit by the firing of Iranian drones or missiles over the past few days. A hard blow to the image of these rich petromonarchies, which have made their tourism development one of their priorities. Analysts are already anticipating tens of billions of dollars in losses for the countries of the region. - The war against Iran, a blow to the tourist boom of the Gulf Petromonarchies (Internatio…
Brits stranded in Dubai spot eerie change after stopover turns into 'nightmare'
Alfie Hughes and Callum Brody were flying home from Manila when their brief Dubai stopover became an indefinite stay amid Middle East tensions - and they've noticed the city is strangely quiet
The hottest ticket in Dubai is a $200,000 spot on a private jet out of town
Tens of thousands of airline passengers are stranded by the Iran war that has spread across the Gulf region, but some wealthy travelers are getting out — by paying large sums for luxury flights to Europe via airports that are safe from Iranian drone and missile attacks. Demand for charter flights has skyrocketed, with some people paying up to 200,000 euros ($232,000) as major airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, Qatar, were closed after the st…
In the Iran war, people on the Gulf suddenly find themselves near explosions. Some holidaymakers are stuck. Some even try to get away with a private jet. That has its price.
Travelers stranded from Dubai to Bangkok as global tourism hit by uncertainty
The conflict triggered by the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran has ushered in a turbulent period for international tourism, particularly in the United Arab Emirates, which has experienced a boom in visitors in recent years.
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