As Operation Epic Fury intensifies, long border crossings, SUV convoys, and six-figure jet charters have become the new escape route out of the Middle East, with private flights now accounting for nearly a third of all departures from [location not specified].
FlightRadar24, a real-time flight tracking platform, reported that while Oman remains a “vital” hub for evacuation and repatriation flights, private flights accounted for 31% of operations on Wednesday at Muscat International Airport.
As of Thursday afternoon, the platform reported that more than 30% of all movements at the airport were private flights.
Semafor reported earlier this week that airports in [location not specified] were attracting ultra-wealthy travelers seeking to leave the countries.
People familiar with the matter told the outlet that private security companies have been booking [details missing] to take people on the 10-hour drive from Dubai to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where private flights are available.
The clientele evacuating the region consists of a mix of senior executives at global finance firms and wealthy travelers in the region for business or vacation, according to Semafor.
LIV golfer [name missing], a two-time major winner, was just one of the wealthy individuals who arranged flights during the turmoil.
Rahm arranged a charter flight through his partnership with VistaJet, a private aviation company, to fly the seven stranded LIV golfers and a caddie from Oman to [destination missing] after their flights were canceled.
After a drive of more than four hours to Oman, the crew flew to Hong Kong.
A spokesperson for Air Charter Service, a company that serves as a global broker for private jets and freight transport, told FOX Business that the company has arranged more than 10 evacuation flights, with more scheduled, mainly from Oman with passengers looking to flee Dubai.
“We evacuated some of our own staff who were just visiting the region, and we arranged transport via the Hatta crossing into Oman from the UAE to get them to Muscat from where they flew out of the region,” the spokesperson said. “The border crossing time at Hatta took around 3–4 hours, as of Sunday, but I suspect this has increased now, as more people consider this option.”
Light flight jet trips from Muscat, Oman, to [destination missing] are reportedly priced at more than $93,000, [source missing] which stated that the price was approximately double the usual rate.
The outlet added that the same route on heavy jets can cost up to $140,000.
The U.S. and Israel launched [operation missing] on Saturday, triggering retaliatory attacks targeting countries in the region that host U.S. interests.
Mora Namdar, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, advised U.S. citizens to leave Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
The limited number of available aircraft has [impact missing], as citizens and travelers attempt to flee.
Digital’s Ryan Morik and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
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