Private Jets Constitute 30% of Departures from Oman’s Airport Amid Wealthy Exodus from Middle East

As Operation Epic Fury escalates, private flights have become a major escape route from the Middle East, with travelers opting for long border crossings, SUV convoys, and costly jet charters. Currently, these exclusive flights make up nearly one-third of all departures from Oman’s primary airport.

According to FlightRadar24, a platform that offers real-time flight tracking, Oman remains a crucial center for evacuation and repatriation operations. On Wednesday, private flights constituted 31% of all activities at Muscat International Airport.

By Thursday afternoon, the proportion of private flights at the airport exceeded 30% of total movements, as reported by the tracking platform.

Semafor recently highlighted that airports in both Oman and Saudi Arabia are seeing an influx of affluent individuals seeking to exit the region.

Muscat International Airport in Oman continues to serve as a key location for evacuation efforts. (Christopher Pike/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

People familiar with the matter told the outlet that private security companies have been booking fleets 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 are a mix of senior executives at global finance firms and wealthy travelers in the region for business or vacation, according to Semafor.

LIV golfer Jon Rahm, a two-time major winner, was just one of the wealthy who arranged flights amid 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 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 freight transport, told FOX Business the company has arranged more than 10 evacuation flights, with more scheduled, mainly out of Oman with passengers looking to flee Dubai.

FlightRadar24 shared flights flying in and out of Muscat airport. (@Flightradar24 via X)

“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 look at this option.”

Light flight jet trips from Muscat, Oman, to Istanbul, Turkey, are reportedly going for more than $93,000, according to Forbes, which said the price was about double the usual rate. 

The outlet added the same route on heavy jets can cost up to $140,000.

This map shows the targets of Iran’s retaliatory strikes. (Fox News)

The U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran 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 pushed up prices, as citizens and travelers attempt to flee.

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