How wealthy people are getting out of the Middle East: $200,000 charter flights and chauffeured drives across borders

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
Dubai
With Dubai's airspace shut down, wealthy expats and tourists have chartered flights and hired chauffeurs to evacuate the city amid the ongoing war between the United States and Israel and Iran.

Fadel SENNA / AFP

I'm an American stuck in Dubai. I just want to get home in time for my kid's 1st birthday.

Tech Insider : Business
Flight screen at airport

Sawayasu Tsuji/Getty Images

The Iran conflict triggered some of the longest-ever flights to nowhere, with 2 planes returning to their bases after 16 hours

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
An Emirates Airbus A380-800 bound for Dubai departs Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, on February 26, 2026.
An Emirates Airbus A380, like the one that returned to Auckland.

Mike Campbell/NurPhoto via Getty Images

I'm stuck in Dubai after our flight was canceled. I'm paying more than $650 a night for a hotel.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
Explosions in Dubai
Kunal Trehan is stuck in Dubai after a work trip.

Courtesy of Kunal Trehan

Photos show damage to major cities and tourist hotspots across the Middle East, from Dubai to Tehran

Tech Insider : Business
A yacht sails past a plume of smoke rising from the port of Jebel Ali
A yacht sails past a plume of smoke rising from the port of Jebel Ali, in southern Dubai.

Fadel SENNA / AFP via Getty Images

Suspected airstrikes force evacuation at Dubai airport as drone debris kills 1 at second UAE hub

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
The lines of passengers in Dubai airport on Saturday before the airport was hit.
The lines of passengers in Dubai airport on Saturday before the airport was hit.

Courtesy of Jaiveer Cheema

Your next ride with Uber could be in the sky

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
A Joby air taxi hovers above a landing pad, powered by six propellers and with three wheels underneath it.
Uber riders in Dubai will be able to book rides on Joby's air taxis later this year, the companies said on Wednesday.

Uber/Joby

I tried 'the Chick-fil-A of Saudi Arabia.' I was more impressed by the value than the taste.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business, Economy
The exterior of an Al Baik, a Saudi-based chicken restaurant.
Al Baik is a Saudi-based chicken restaurant.

Mohamed Hamam Barakat/Shutterstock

The CEO of Dubai's largest ports firm has been replaced after ties to Epstein revealed

Tech Insider : Business
DAMASCUS, SYRIA - JULY 13: Dubai Ports World (DPW) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sultan Ahmed Bin al-Sulayem
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem.

Izettin Kasim/Anadolu via Getty Images

I visited Ulta Beauty's first store in Dubai expecting it to be just like US stores. It wasn't.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
Ulta Beauty's first store in Dubai on opening day, 29 January 2026.
Ulta Beauty's first store in Dubai on opening day, 29 January 2026.

Ulta Beauty/Alshaya

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