Business aviation prides itself on being resilient and adaptable in equal measure, but the fallout from the blitz launched on Iran a week ago by Israel and the U.S. is now severely testing these attributes. As air charter brokers and operators scramble to evacuate a small minority of the thousands of expats stranded in Gulf states under attack from Iranian missiles and drones, industry leaders are pondering how long and deep the conflict’s impact could be.
During a briefing yesterday by security group International SOS, Hany Bakr, senior v-p for aviation and maritime sectors at its MedAire division, cautioned that the backlog of displaced people and aircraft could take months to clear, and that is on the basis of hostilities ceasing. Authorities in the region appear to be prioritizing their countries’ major airlines in granting access to the limited air corridors that have partially opened up through Oman and Saudi Arabia.
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