Charter Jet Demand Surges 50%, Prices Soar As West Asia Flights Curtailed

Last Updated:March 10, 2026, 08:08 IST

Atom Aviation Services Pvt Ltd that runs charter services in India said while they usually get 5-7 queries a month, they received more than 70 queries in just last one week.

With scheduled flights to and from West Asian countries curtailed due to the volatile situation in the region, demand for chartered flights have significantly risen among the private jet indioperators in India, News18 has learnt.

Experts from the industry say, while queries for the availability of private jets on the route has seen a considerable hike, prices due to the rise in demand have also shot up.

Starting February 28, countries including the UAE, Qatar, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel and Bahrain have imposed restrictions on civil flights resulting in cancellation and rerouting thousands of flights affecting millions of passengers, especially on routes to Europe and Asia.

In India too, IndiGo, Air India and Akasa and SpiceJet had initially announced curtailment of routes and cancellation of several flights due to the escalating situation causing airspace restrictions, before coming up with revised schedule of special flights to help evacuate Indians stuck in the region.

Given this shortage of flights, the demand for private jets witnessed a sudden surge among those wanting to evacuate the West Asian countries despite a heavy cost.

Sanjeev Sethi, CEO and founder of Cloud Runner Aviation that provides charter jet services in India, said the demand for private jets is very strong at present. “Not only charter inquiries have surged but so have the prices. But since there are operational restrictions, not all demand can be served. The current surge is driven by multiple factors that include thousands of people stranded, emergency evacuations, governments and embassies moving citizens and corporates relocating staff," Sethi said.

He added that this rise, compared to normal times, is about 50% high.

And with this, he says, the prices have gone up too. “Price for a mid-size jet chartered from Dubai to India has risen from about USD 70,000 to USD 100,000. Clients are willing to pay higher price to be evacuated from the violence-hit region," the CEO said.

Atom Aviation Services Pvt Ltd that runs charter services in India said while they usually get 5-7 queries a month, they received more than 70 queries in just last one week.

“Because of the sudden airspace closure and Dubai being a tourism hub, thousands of people got stuck there and started panicking when situation turned volatile. While no airline and no charter could operate from Dubai due to airspace closure, Fujairah airspace was accessible and people could fly out from there," said Captain Gupta, who runs Atoms Aviation.

Gupta added, while generally cost for a 13-seater jet would come around USD 60,000 to 70,000, the same has shot to USD 100,000 this time.

Aviation experts Mark D. Martin said with the recent fresh wave of attacks in the UAE, the exodus of expatriates have begun and private jets now are being sold not by whole charter, but by seats to keep up with demands.

Business Jets mostly small and mid-size jets have commencing flying into Fujairah over the last 48 hours. “We estimate at least 500 mid-size jets would be used to evacuate Indian expats from the UAE. In the backdrop of there being no de-escalation, I see consistent and non-stop flights taking place between Fujairah, Oman and Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad in the next 7 days," said Martin, CEO of Martin Consulting.

But at the same time, there are certain approvals a charter service operator needs to comply with.

Sethi says, to operate such a flight from India one would require a non-scheduled operator permit (NSOP) compliance. “Other than this, flight clearance (FPL approval) is needed and overflight and landing clearances with airport slot approvals are needed. At the same time, to land in another country, you would need landing permit, overflight permits, airport slot and handling confirmation along with parking approval," he added.

The approvals, during a war-like situation, he added, become more layered with war-risk insurance confirmations, diplomatic clearances, special NOTAM compliances issued by air navigation authorities in that region and may also require possible coordination with foreign ministries or embassies, Sethi said.

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