€20,000 Escape: Only the Wealthy Can Flee the War Zone
The air war in the Middle East has triggered a massive travel crisis, with thousands of passengers stranded and ticket prices soaring to extreme levels. For many, leaving the region has become possible only for those who can afford luxury evacuation options.
After the attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, missile and drone strikes have spread across the region. The United Arab Emirates, especially Dubai and Abu Dhabi, has been heavily affected. According to the Financial Times, more than 4,000 flights were canceled on Monday alone across Israel, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the Emirates, as airspace remained closed for a third consecutive day.
The region’s three biggest airlines normally transport around 90,000 passengers daily, reported Euronews. With airports shut down and operations suspended, some travelers could be stranded for up to four weeks, as warned by US President دونالد ترامب. Emirates provided temporary accommodation for about 20,000 passengers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, mostly on camp beds in parking garages, with authorities covering food and lodging costs.
Those desperate to leave are now forced to travel overland through the desert. The nearest functioning airports are in Saudi Arabia and Oman. Reaching Riyadh can take around ten hours by road, while the trip to Muscat also takes several hours. Even then, these airports are not equipped to handle the sudden surge of stranded passengers.
Profiteers have begun exploiting the situation. The Russian space agency Roscosmos chartered a Tupolev aircraft from the airline Red Wings to operate a flight from Oman to Moscow. Seats were sold through a business booking system for an extraordinary €20,000 each, generating nearly €1.9 million in revenue. The flight sold out almost immediately, largely to wealthy travelers living in or visiting Dubai.
Private jet companies report overwhelming demand but limited capacity. While flight operations from Muscat are expected to partially resume, easing the situation for affluent passengers, tens of thousands of people with modest means remain stuck in cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi, waiting for commercial air travel to return.