13 expats split Dh135,000 cost to fly on a private jet to Dubai

13 expats split Dh135,000 cost to fly on a private jet to Dubai

All of them had their GDRFA approvals and chose Mumbai as their boarding destination.





Two days after his arrival in Dubai, Indian expat Mudassir Ali can't still believe he is back. After being stranded in India for four months, he chose to take the expensive route - flying via private jet with 12 other strangers. And the cost? Dh135,000 for 13 passengers.

"I had joined a few Facebook groups for stranded residents from where I found a person working at Al Maktoum airport, who talked to me about the option of using private jets. I was desperate to get back and got in touch with Dubai-based Empire Aviation Group, which quoted Dh135,000 for 13 passengers," he said.

Ali was then briefed on a number of conditions, including a contract that must be signed. "The cheque should be paid in a single person's name. Valid visas, passports and Emirates IDs of all passengers were required to get the necessary approvals. Finding 12 people who could afford to take the risk was hard," he said.

"We were all strangers who met on social media and it was hard to build trust. In fact, I was asked what if I misuse the documents or