A burgeoning crisis in the Middle East has triggered a massive surge in demand for private chartered aircraft, as thousands of Indian nationals remain stranded following the closure of regional airspace. | AI
Mumbai: A burgeoning crisis in the Middle East has triggered a massive surge in demand for private chartered aircraft, as thousands of Indian nationals remain stranded following the closure of regional airspace. With the Indian carriers’ repatriation flights currently unable to meet the overwhelming volume of passengers, private operators have begun selling individual seats on chartered flights at exorbitant rates, ranging from Rs1.5 lakh to Rs2.5 lakh.
The Capacity Gap in Repatriation Efforts
Following the escalation of conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran over the last week, scheduled flight operations across the UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait have been severely disrupted. While the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has coordinated approximately 58 repatriation flights as of March 4, 2026, the capacity remains a fraction of the estimated tens of thousands seeking an immediate exit.
The desperation has shifted the market toward non-scheduled operators. Traditionally, private jets are chartered as a whole unit, but under current emergency conditions, brokers are aggregating individual passengers to crowdfund charters. Private operators are operating 13-seater small-sized jets like Legacy 600 to 38-seater mid-sized jets like Dornier 328 from Dubai, Fujairah and Oman to Mumbai and Delhi.
Exorbitant Pricing Amid High Demand
The ticket prices per seat on these private charters is being quoted between Rs1.5 lakh and Rs2.5 lakh, more than 10 to 15 times the standard commercial fare. The increase in prices results from the surge in demand for private jets as the affluent class is reportedly spending as high as Rs3 crore to charter planes out of the Middle East.
While most charters are operating out of secondary hubs like Fujairah International Airport and Dubai World Central, which have remained more flexible with charter slots compared to the congested primary hubs, many of the charter flights are also being cancelled at the last moment due to revoking of permissions by the UAE authorities.
Operator’s Perspective on the Crisis
A Mumbai-based private jet operator, told The Free Press Journal, on condition of anonymity, that, “It is rare that our jets fly outside the country but since the need of the hour requires more flights from the Middle East, we are trying to provide an economical option to Indians stranded there by charging them per seat. However, a lot of non-scheduled flights are also being cancelled due to restrictions in this fragile condition.”
On Wednesday, the Fujairah International Airport announced that it will operate special chartered flights in partnership with Oman-based low cost carrier Salam Air to help stranded passengers return home amid the tensions. The flights, operating with a stop in Muscat, will connect five destinations including Calicut, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Istanbul and Karachi.
