USD 350,000 ticket to freedom? How the ultra-rich are racing out of Dubai

Iranian strikes on key locations in Dubai paralysed airport operations and triggered panic among residents. As uncertainty deepened, affluent travellers began scrambling to exit the region, with some reportedly paying upwards of $350,000 (Rs 3,20,87,142) to charter private jets out of the Middle East.

According to media reports, several travellers are undertaking 10-hour drives to Saudi Arabia to secure private flights to Europe.

Others have headed to Oman — about a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Dubai — where operations at Muscat International Airport continue, albeit with delays.

Citing travel websites, The Guardian reported that most commercial flights from Muscat to Europe are fully booked until later this week.

Alexandra Vavilova, a Russian tourist holidaying in Dubai, told the newspaper she managed to secure one of the last available tickets out of the region on Monday night — a flight from Muscat to Colombo.

Amid soaring demand, private jet prices have surged sharply. JetVip, a Muscat-based brokerage, told The Guardian that a flight to Istanbul aboard a Nextant jet — among the smallest available aircraft — now costs about €85,000 (£74,000), nearly three times the usual rate.

Seats on private charters to Moscow are reportedly selling for around €20,000 per person.

Several private aviation firms have said fleet positioning challenges in the Middle East are limiting aircraft availability.

UAE Intercepts Missiles

Meanwhile, the UAE’s Ministry of Defence said in its latest post on X that air defence systems successfully intercepted nine ballistic missiles, six cruise missiles and 148 drones.

Since the start of the Iranian attack, the ministry said 174 ballistic missiles had been detected, with 161 destroyed and 13 falling into the sea.

A total of 689 Iranian drones were identified, of which 645 were intercepted while 44 landed within the country’s territory. Eight cruise missiles were also detected and destroyed, though some collateral damage was reported.

According to the ministry, the incidents resulted in three fatalities and 68 minor injuries.

Rising Regional Tensions

The developments come amid escalating geopolitical tensions after the United States and Israel jointly launched strikes on Iran over the weekend.

Iran retaliated with a barrage of missiles and armed drones targeting Tel Aviv, US military bases across the region, and key energy infrastructure.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was reportedly killed on the first day of the conflict — a development that has plunged the country into political uncertainty and intensified fears of a broader regional war.

US and Israeli officials described their strikes as part of a wider campaign aimed at dismantling Iran’s ruling establishment and weakening its military and nuclear command structure.

Khamenei, who succeeded Ruhollah Khomeini following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, had served as Iran’s most powerful political and religious authority for more than three decades.