India-UAE flights: Expat family spends Dh277,000 to charter jet to Dubai

A Dubai-based NRI businessman shelled out a whopping Rs5.5 million (Dh277,000) to charter a flight back to the UAE.

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According to Assamese media reports, the businessman spent the amount to charter a jet for himself and his family after they got stranded back home when India-UAE passenger entry was suspended on April 24.

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Mushtaque Anfar, who owns perfume brand Oudh al Anfar, posted images on Instagram of himself and his family on the charter flight.

He posted that he was back in Dubai.

“I was not able to find a way to come back, but we managed this route. Thanks to Dubai aviation authorities for managing this and arranging a charter for us from Dubai directly,” he posted.

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A post shared by Abdullah Mushtaque Anfar (@abdullahanfar)

According to Assamese media reports, the businessman had gone to India to spend time with his mother.

Earlier this month, an Indian family coughed up more than Dh200,000 (US$55,000) to return to the UAE on a private jet.

A UAE resident for nearly four decades, PD Syamalan, managing director of Al Ras Group; his close family members; and four employees flew from Kochi in the south Indian state of Kerala to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai.

With passenger entry from India suspended at least till June 14, the only option for stranded residents is to charter a jet.

However, the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has warned flight operators against pooling or selling per seat tickets.

A flight operator had told Khaleej Times on Monday that it costs about $40,000 (Dh146,000 approximately) to fully charter a flight from India to the UAE.

With India caught in the midst of a deadly second wave of Covid-19, passenger entry from India to the UAE, one of the world’s busiest air corridors, was suspended on April 25.

Since then, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka have been added to the list.

There has been huge demand for charter passenger jets from India as well as Pakistan, especially from high-net-worth businessmen.