UAE: Lebanese expats look to evacuate families as flight tickets soar up to Dh42,000

Describing the situation as 'highly volatile', several Lebanese expats in the UAE are desperately finding ways to bring their families to safety amidst the escalating Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

Adding to their woes is the unavailability of flights, not to mention the prices of tickets that have gone up to more than Dh42,000 for a one-way, multi-leg journey from Beirut to Dubai, Khaleej Times has learnt.

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“Travelling by land is riskier,” said Dubai resident Hamed, whose parents – who are in their mid-60s – are stuck in Beirut. “Our borders with Syria, the only way for us to get out of Lebanon by land, are all jammed and not safe for travel. On Tuesday, I read in the news that three civilians were killed following Israeli air strikes on Syria’s capital Damascus,” Hamed added.

“I’m looking at various options to bring my family to safety but none is viable at the moment. I’ve tried booking online and the cheapest plane ticket I found was Dh26,890 per seat for a one-way flight from Beirut to Amman, Jordan.

“I was only able to find two tickets, but I also have my brother and his wife plus their two kids. I need six plane tickets and more than Dh160,000 to bring them out of Lebanon,” Hamed said.

Limited flight options

Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport is still operating — but scantily — and only Lebanese national carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) is running commercial flights.

With limited flight options, Khaleej Times scanned travel and booking websites and discovered some tickets cost as much as Dh42,435 for a one-way journey to Dubai via Jordan. The multi-leg journeys will start from Beirut to Amman before heading to Dubai. There are also options to fly out of Syria, and that would require a cross-border travel by land from Lebanon.

Direct flights between the UAE and Lebanon have been suspended, with Sharjah-based carrier Air Arabia even announcing on Tuesday the indefinite suspension of flights to Beirut from Sharjah and Abu Dhabi due to the escalating Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

Dubai-based Emirates, and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways have no flights to and from the Lebanese capital until October 8. Flydubai flights have been cancelled until October 7, Monday.

Passengers transiting through Dubai and Abu Dhabi with a final destination to Beirut will not be accepted for travel from their point of origin, the two airlines said.

Surge in enquiries

As expected, travel agents have reported a surge in enquiries from stranded Lebanese residents looking for any possible route to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or Sharjah.

“People are asking about the possibility of travelling to Dubai from Beirut. They are ready to travel to the neighbouring countries via land and then fly to the UAE,” said Bharath Aidasani, managing partner at Pluto Travels. “The current option to fly out from Lebanon involves crossing the border into Syria and then flying to Sharjah with Cham Wings Airlines", which is a private Syrian carrier.

Shamsheed CV, Senior Consultant for Outbound Travel at Wisefox Tourism, added many travellers are opting for flights to Amman before continuing on to the UAE. “There are very few operators flying out of Beirut Airport,” he said, noting that only those with valid UAE tourist or residency visas can enter the country.

• Airlines suspend flights as Middle East tensions rise