Experts see new opportunities as Gulf conflict drives surge in private jets to Maldives

The Maldives has seen a surge in arrivals on private jets this week, as the closure of major airports in the Middle East after Iran launched strikes in retaliation for the surprise attack by the United States and Israel triggers a scramble among the wealthy to leave the region via alternative routes on private jets.

Some aviation industry experts see this as a new opportunity, at a time when revenue has plummeted with the cancellation of commercial flights.

Key transit airports, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, and Doha in Qatar, have been shut or severely restricted as much of the region’s airspace remains closed as attacks continue.

The airport closures have rippled far beyond the Middle East. Dubai and Doha sit at the crossroads of east-west air travel, funneling long-haul traffic between Europe and Asia through tightly scheduled networks of connecting flights. With those hubs idle, aircraft and crews remained stranded out of position, disrupting airline schedules worldwide, including in the Maldives.

Tourist arrivals to the Maldives have gone down by 50 percent since the conflict began, according to data released by the Tourism Ministry.

But while arrivals on commercial flights have gone down, arrivals on private jets have surged.

Sun has been informed that at least 16 jets are scheduled to land at the Velana International Airport (VIA) on Wednesday.

Aviation experts say that this is significantly higher than what the Maldives usually sees this time of the year. The country usually sees this level of private jet movements around major holidays such as Christmas and New Year’s.

Mohamed Firaq, CEO of Inner Maldives, noted that the Middle East has a significant number of business jets. He believes that with the current conflict, many of these jets may be repositioning out of the region, quite possibly to airports across Asia.

He sees opportunity in this.

“We need to open our minds and look at this strategically — such movements can create opportunities for the right airports and countries that are prepared to accommodate them,” he wrote in a post on Facebook on early Wednesday.

He suggested that if the current situation persists, it would be prudent for Maldivian authorities to consider introducing temporary incentives for General Aviation (GA) parking, streamlining and expediting overflight and landing permit procedures, ensure strong coordination between airports and all relevant aviation and security authorities, and also positioning the Gan International Airport in the south and the Hanimaadhoo International Airport in the north as a safe Indian Ocean aviation and parking hub.

“Such proactive steps could strengthen Maldives’ strategic positioning while creating new aviation-related revenue opportunities at a national level,” he opinioned.