Planes are always urgently sought when a crisis occurs somewhere in the world. Since the US-Israel war against Iran began on Saturday, demand has outstripped supply and thousands of people are stranded in the Middle East frantically searching for an exit route.
While many rely on governments to send planes to evacuate them, those with the financial means can consider a more expensive and much faster option: a private jet. Matt Purton, director of aviation services at UK-based global company Air Charter Service, is the man some of them have on speed dial.
Purton not only arranges the transportation of the rich and famous around the world, but also assists governments, fielding requests from everyone from the UK Home Office to the US government, seeking planes to deport migrants or carry out evacuations from collapsed countries like Libya.
While his company doesn’t accept all requests for private jets from anyone who can pay, he admits that the latest war in the Middle East hasn’t been bad for business. “Aircraft requests are probably up 200 to 300 percent of what they normally do at this time of year,” he says. “We’re going crazy.”
While the company doesn’t automatically inflate prices at times like this, the fact that demand exceeds supply means its prices are aligned with the current market rate. Most government work is done for a pre-agreed fixed fee.
He is cautious about how the war will play out, regardless of the impact it may have on his company. “The air corridors are quite narrow,” Purton said. “If they close more, it will be much more difficult for planes to get in and out of the region. The only constant in this situation right now is the fluidity of the whole thing. It’s like coming back after an earthquake with a dustpan and a brush.
“We get calls from absolutely everyone, from newlyweds stranded in Dubai and tourists who want to join forces to charter a plane to get home, to wealthy companies and individuals and everything in between. When there’s a war, you don’t really distinguish between millionaires and billionaires.”
He says right now there are at least half a million people stuck in the wrong place who want to leave. But many planes and crews are also not in the right places around the world to reach the Middle East and get people out.
“I think European governments need to work together on this. If they set up an air bridge somewhere like Oman, they will be able to get more people out more quickly, flying them from Muscat or Fujairah International Airport to somewhere like Larnaca or Malta.”
Although his company usually charters entire planes, it occasionally sells seats on them, something it has decided to do to fly stranded people out of the Middle East.
Some 300,000 Britons are believed to be in the affected regions of the Middle East and thousands of flights have been canceled since the joint US-Israeli operation was launched. More than 130,000 Britons have expressed interest in receiving help to leave the region.
British citizens were due to return home on the first government flight from Oman on Wednesday evening. However, the flight was delayed due to “operational issues” and will now take off later on Thursday. Two more flights are planned in the coming days.
The flight will take off from Muscat, the capital of Oman, and will be 450 kilometers from the UAE’s largest city, Dubai, where many British tourists and expats currently reside.
The Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and any travel to and from Israel and Palestine.
“This is the worst airline crisis we have had since Covid,” says Purton. “We can often make decisions more quickly than governments, but we work alongside governments that can provide us with diplomatic and other support. Companies like ours are called upon to pick up the pieces in these situations.”
