Tens of thousands of people are scrambling to leave the Middle East after being left stranded by the United States-Israeli war on Iran, with some wealthy travellers spending huge sums to charter private flights out of the region.

Much of the region’s airspace remains closed amid the conflict, with only a limited number of flights departing from a handful of regional gateways, including Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, and Oman’s Muscat.

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“People are panicking now,” said Kirti Arora, 37, who was left stranded in Qatar’s capital, Doha, along with her husband while they were en route from India’s capital, New Delhi, to Spain’s Madrid. “Many are desperate to leave.

“We don’t wish to leave the hotel and plan our own trip or route as there’s a lot of stress at borders and explosions are happening at odd hours,” Arora said.

More than 23,000 flights have been cancelled since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Saturday, according to analytics firm Cirium.

Evacuations

Dozens of countries, including the US, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, have organised chartered flights to repatriate their citizens. But those efforts have been hampered by logistical challenges amid the near-shutdown of commercial aviation in one of the world’s busiest regions for international travel.

The US Department of State said on Thursday it would ramp up charter flights for its citizens, amid criticism of the Trump administration’s lack of assistance for stranded travellers. Nearly 20,000 US citizens have returned to their country since the conflict began, according to the State Department, which announced the departure of its first chartered flight on Wednesday.

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On Thursday, French authorities, who are assisting with the repatriation of 5,000 French citizens, said a government-chartered Air France flight was forced to turn back to the UAE due to missile fire near Dubai.

More than 138,000 British nationals, most of them in the UAE, have contacted UK authorities for assistance since the outbreak of the conflict, according to the UK Foreign Office, though most of those are not expected to seek evacuation from the region.

So far, British authorities have organised three chartered flights, the first of which landed in London on Friday after departing Muscat nearly 24 hours behind schedule.

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said on Wednesday that she expected chartered flights for about 2,000 stranded citizens to depart from the UAE within the next 72 hours.

“The cost to travel to Oman has become astronomical,” said British-Canadian national Dilini Reynold, who was left stranded in Dubai while on vacation. “People are really taking advantage of the situation. The tickets from Oman to London are ridiculously expensive, too.”

Reynold said he hoped to leave Dubai on Sunday after booking a one-way ticket for about 1,000 pounds ($1,337).

“I have also asked a British travel agent to keep a lookout for tickets on Etihad just in case,” he said. “Emirates tickets over the weekend are going at 4,000 pounds ($5,348) one-way. Everything is so ridiculously pricey. I feel the aviation authority should really work on adding more repatriation flights out of Dubai.”

Amid the travel chaos, travellers with deep pockets have turned to private jet brokers to charter their own flights out of the region.

Altay Kula, sales and market director at JET-VIP in France, said it has been difficult to keep up with demand due to a mismatch between inquiries and the supply of aircraft.

Kula said scheduling a large-cabin business jet from the Gulf to Europe cost between $120,000 and $200,000, with the company typically aiming to organise departure within 12 to 24 hours of an inquiry.

“From our perspective as a charter brokerage, we are also seeing travellers who would not normally consider private aviation turning to this option,” Kula said. “With fewer commercial alternatives available and increased uncertainty around schedules, private jets are becoming, in some cases, one of the only ways for passengers to secure a reliable departure within a short timeframe.”

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‘First come, first served’

Adam Steiger, president of Air Charter Advisors, said his company had seen a tenfold rise in enquiries, from both residents and companies looking to relocate families and essential staff amid the regional conflict.

“I would describe the mood among our clients as one of ‘calculated urgency’,” Steiger said. “While there isn’t outward panic, there is a clear desire to beat further potential airspace closures. Our clients are prioritising certainty and safety over cost at this moment.”

Muhammad Umar Malik, manager of Prime Jet Services, said his company had organised 10 flights, with prices starting at $100,000 for a small jet departing Dubai or Muscat for the Turkish city of Istanbul.

“There is a great increase in demand; however, this doesn’t reflect in a surge in bookings as most do not have the means to afford this, and we have lost usual business,” Malik said, explaining that local people were not flying at this time in the region, where the Muslim holy month of Ramadan is being observed.

“The mood is the ones who fly are the ones who are panicking,” Malik said.

Referring to the level of competition for private flights, Alexander Graham, director of Luxe Jets, told Al Jazeera: “It is first-come, first-served.

“We try to hold the bookings for a maximum of two hours,” Graham said.