Some travellers stranded in Dubai paying huge sums for private charter flights

A police vehicle and an ambulance parked on the departure road of a deserted Dubai International Airport (Altaf Qadri/AP)

Tens of thousands of airline passengers are stranded by the Iran war that has spread across the Gulf region, but some wealthy travellers are getting out – by paying large sums for luxury flights to Europe via airports that are safe from Iranian drone and missile attacks.

Demand for charter flights has skyrocketed, with some people paying up to 200,000 euros (£175,000) after major airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, Qatar, were closed after the start of the conflict last weekend.