Long border crossings, SUV convoys and six-figure jet charters have become the new escape route from the Middle East as Operation Epic Fury intensifies, with private flights now accounting for almost a third of all departures from Oman’s main airport.
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 at Muscat International Airport on Wednesday.
On 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 Oman and Saudi Arabia were attracting ultra-wealthy travelers wanting to leave the countries.
Oman remains an ‘essential’ hub for evacuation flights at Muscat International Airport. (Christopher Pike/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
People familiar with the matter told the newspaper that private security companies have booked a fleet of SUVs to take people on the 10-hour drive from Dubai to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where private flights are available.
The clientele evacuating the region, according to Semafor, consists of a mix of senior executives at global financial companies and wealthy travelers in the region for business or leisure.
LIV golfer Jon Rahm, a two-time major winner, was just one of the wealthy who arranged flights amid the unrest.
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Rahm, through his partnership with VistaJet, a private aviation company, arranged a charter flight to fly the seven stranded LIV golfers and a caddy from Oman to Hong Kong after their flights were canceled.
After a more than four-hour drive to Oman, the crew flew to Hong Kong.
A spokesperson for Air Charter Service, a company that acts as a global broker for private jets and cargo transport, told FOX Business that the company has arranged more than ten evacuation flights, with more planned, mainly from Oman, carrying passengers seeking to flee Dubai.
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FlightRadar24 shared flights to and from Muscat airport. (@Vluchtradar24 via X)
“We evacuated some of our own staff who were just visiting the region, and we arranged transportation via the Hatta crossing to Oman from the UAE to take them to Muscat from where they flew out of the region,” the spokesperson said. “The border crossing at Hatta took about 3 to 4 hours from Sunday, but I suspect this has increased now as more people are looking at this option.”
Lightweight jet flights from Muscat, Oman, to Istanbul, Turkey reportedly cost more than $93,000 according to Forbesstating that the price was about double the going rate.
The outlet has added the same route for heavy aircraft that can cost up to $140,000.
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The US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Saturday, prompting retaliatory strikes targeting countries in the region that harbor US interests.
Mora Namdar, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, advised US 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.
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The limited number of available aircraft has driven up prices as citizens and travelers try to flee.
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