Private flights account for 30% of departures from Oman airport as wealthy evacuate Middle East

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Long border crossings, SUV convoys and six-figure jet charters have become the new escape route out of the Middle East as Operation Epic Fury intensifies, with private flights now accounting for nearly a third of all departures fromOman’s main airport.

FlightRadar24, a real-time flight tracking platform, reported that while Oman continues to be a “vital” hub for evacuation and repatriation flights, private flights accounted for 31% of operations Wednesday at Muscat International Airport.

As of Thursday afternoon, the platform reported more than 30% of all movements at the airport were private flights.

Semaforreportedearlier this week that airports inOman and Saudi Arabiawere drawing ultra-wealthy travelers looking to leave the countries.

Oman continues to be a “vital” hub for evacuation flights at its Muscat International Airport.(Christopher Pike/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

People familiar with the matter told the outlet that private security companies have been bookingfleets of SUVsto 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 golferJon Rahm, a two-time major winner, was just one of the wealthy who arranged flights amid the turmoil.

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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 toHong Kongafter their flights were canceled.

After a more than four-hour drive to Oman, the crew flew to Hong Kong.

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Flights going in and out of Muscat airport

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, toIstanbul, 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.

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This map shows the targets of Iran’s retaliatory strikes.

The U.S.and Israel launchedattacks on IranSaturday, 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.

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The limited number of available aircraft haspushed up prices, as citizens and travelers attempt to flee.

�s Ryan Morik and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.

She has covered major national crises, including the L.A.wildfires, Potomac and Hudson River aviation disasters, Boulder terror attack, and Texas Hill Country floods.