Fearing that the war will be prolonged, the ultra-rich of Dubai have begun to leave the opulent business center by all possible means, sometimes paying hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Emirati city has been welcoming wealthy people for decades, who arrive in Dubai attracted by the few taxes paid there, the security and luxury it offers and a government inclined to facilitate business.
But these last days, with the sky fursowed by drones and missiles, there are those who are paying significant sums of money to guarantee a safe escape route. Somewhat complicated because the airspace of the United Arab Emirates is partially closed.
"When we saw the fire, we said to ourselves: 'okay, it's time to go,'" said Evrim, a Turkish woman, mother of two children, referring to the explosion caused by the remains of a missile that hit a luxury hotel near her house, in Palm Jumeirah, the artificial archipelago that has become a symbol of the city's ostentation.
She, her husband and her two children have paid $200,000 to fly from the neighboring Sultanate of Oman to Geneva, Switzerland, where they plan to wait until the war ends. To reach the Omani capital, Muscat, they had to drive six hours through the desert.
"We are very nervous (...), mainly because of the children. When they heard the sound of the explosion they got scared," he told AFP, alluding to missile interceptions.
Evrim had the impression that leaving would be even more difficult if the conflict gets complicated, fearing that Saudi Arabia, to which much of the region's airspace belongs, would join the war.
With its large theme parks and luxury hotels, the tallest building in the world and even a huge shopping center with an indoor ski slope, Dubai has become a very popular destination among the rich and famous.
But its safe haven status in a volatile region is now at risk.
Emirates has been the target since Saturday of more than 800 drones and 200 missiles, which left three dead, and is taking the worst part of the Iranian retaliation campaign against several Gulf countries for the offensive of the United States and Israel that killed their supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Among the impacted places are airports and oil infrastructures.
Several foreign governments, including those of the United Kingdom and Germany, are sending planes to Oman to evacuate their citizens, since only a small number of flights operate from the Emirates.
However, many of the ultra-rich are finding a way to escape.
According to Glenn Phillips, public relations and head of advertising at Air Charter Service, a company that organizes private jet trips around the world, "demand is undoubtedly increasing."
"We have already organized several evacuation flights and for today and tomorrow there are more scheduled, mainly from Mascat, in Oman, for people who want to leave Dubai," he explained.
According to him, prices are skyrocketing due to the shortage of planes, since many are in closed airports. In addition, private jet operators are reluctant to fly for safety fears.
The Oman route is the most popular, Phillips added, but on the border with Emirates there is such congestion that some have to wait up to three or four hours to cross it.
If the war continues, there will be fewer and fewer planes available, he warned.
Demand for private cars outside the Emirates has also increased among the rich in Western countries, said Mike D'Souza, operations coordinator at Indus Chauffeur, in Dubai.
Many are leaving the country through Saudi Arabia, whose airports are still operational. However, getting a visa to enter the kingdom is being a challenge for some of the evacuees.
But, of those who have been stranded, those with more modest incomes are the ones who are having it more difficult to leave.
A British citizen, who preferred not to say his name, told AFP that getting a seat on a commercial flight from Mascat had been extremely difficult for him, his pregnant wife and his three-year-old son.
"The prices are extremely high and the seats disappear quickly when you try to make a reservation," he explained.
In the end, they got a ticket for a flight to the Indian city of Hyderabad, from where they plan to travel to Thailand.
"Although my son does not understand what is happening, he is clearly out of place, and my wife has also been nervous," he said.
"That said, of course we love Dubai and consider it our home. We totally intend to return as soon as our son is born and things calm down," he added.
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