Overview
A private flights company in Dubai that had planned to focus on transporting pets and their owners between the city and the United Kingdom has abruptly found itself handling a broad spectrum of passenger requests as regional tensions intensify. The firm, PetX Jets, launched on a Saturday anticipating inquiries from pet owners. Instead, its inbox has filled with requests from a wide range of travellers - young adults, pregnant couples and elderly passengers - seeking ways out of the United Arab Emirates as the conflict in the region spreads and several countries close or restrict airspace.
Shift in business focus
Samuel Lait, the founder of PetX Jets, said the company’s original plan was to operate mainly between Dubai and the UK for pet travel. That plan has changed almost immediately since the weekend. The startup had been preparing to begin its first charter service in June, but Lait indicated the firm may advance that timeline in response to the sudden surge in demand. He said the company is attempting to adapt rapidly to evolving circumstances while monitoring developments in Dubai’s airspace.
Regional conflict and travel disruption
The U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran had entered its seventh day on a recent Friday, a development that has raised fears of a wider escalation and prompted many residents and visitors to consider leaving the Gulf. Although airports in the United Arab Emirates - usually among the busiest globally - have started to restore some services, they are functioning at only a fraction of their normal capacity. That limited capacity has left many people stranded and exploring alternative exit routes.
Options being used include crossing land borders into neighbouring Oman and Saudi Arabia and flying from those countries, as well as hiring private jets to fly directly out of the Gulf. Private aviation brokers and operators report a marked increase in requests for charters from hubs such as Dubai and Doha, with flights operating from Muscat and Riyadh increasingly in demand.
Broker and operator experience
Altay Kula, CEO and founder of France-based private jet broker Jet-VIP, which provides services in the Middle East, said inquiries have surged. He described demand as arriving in waves, with requests coming in every 10 to 20 minutes. Kula noted that people are seeking solutions to leave the Middle East, particularly from Dubai and Qatar, and that flights out of Riyadh and Muscat are frequently being used as alternatives.
Both Lait and Kula cautioned that despite the commercial opportunity for private aviation providers, significant obstacles remain. One issue is the rapid inflation of charter prices since the unrest escalated, which is pricing some customers out of the market. Another is the scarcity of available slots and the administrative burden of securing authorisations to operate through or from neighbouring countries.
Price increases and availability
Kula provided specific fare examples to illustrate the change. A typical Jet-VIP charter between Dubai and Istanbul had cost about $50,000 for a light jet that can carry six passengers, and $110,000 for a heavier aircraft capable of transporting up to 15 people. Those prices have doubled, to roughly $100,000 and $200,000 respectively, since the conflict began.
Lait said that many of the initial flights being offered to operators were routed out of Oman, where demand has soared and fares are correspondingly high. He described prices there as "astronomical" and said his company is trying to negotiate with aircraft brokers and providers as it considers how best to start operations under the current conditions.
Operational hurdles
Kula highlighted another practical problem: the scarcity of slots amid sudden spikes in traffic at airports such as Muscat in Oman and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. He said the process of obtaining authorisation to fly to Oman and pick up passengers can sometimes take up to 24 hours. While Jet-VIP is attempting to operate from Dubai where possible, restrictions on airspace make it difficult to secure slots and plan reliable charters from within the UAE.
Short-term plans
For now, PetX Jets is adopting a cautious stance. Lait said the company aims to wait for Dubai’s airspace to reopen more fully so that aircraft availability returns to levels and pricing closer to what was normal in the weeks and months before the weekend. Until that happens, operators and passengers are navigating a market characterised by sharply higher fares, constrained airport capacity and administrative delays tied to permissions and slot availability.
Key considerations
- Demand for private jet charters has surged as travellers seek alternatives to disrupted commercial flights.
- Charter prices have roughly doubled on some routes since the escalation of conflict, limiting affordability for some customers.
- Operators face logistical challenges including limited slots, lengthy authorisation processes and concentrated traffic at alternate airports such as Muscat and Riyadh.