Qatar World Cup: confident England fans book private jets in Dubai for finals

Private jet companies in Dubai are in high demand by hopeful England football fans confident their team will make it all the way to the World Cup final in Doha on December 18, reported The National.

Luxury charters have been in high demand from supporters in Dubai looking to fly in and out in an expedited manner during the month-long tournament set to kick off on November 20.

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ME Jets, a company operating from Dubai World Central, is providing a luxury experience for families, groups and individuals hoping to travel to Qatar seamlessly.

The experience is set to cost €1,750 (Dh6,500), and yet has not dissuaded fans from availing these services, despite commercial flights coming in at about a third of the price.

One fan claims he has committed to a private jet for each of the group games and the last 16 matches. "It will be expensive but worth it, I’m sure," he told The National.

Supporters of the England team are confident of the team making it all the way to the final and are making up a majority of the bookings for the 64-seat passenger VIP aircraft on December 18.

“We have sold out the whole flight for the final, which is great, and three quarters for the flight for the semi-final,” said Amy Spicer, managing partner at ME Jets was quoted as saying by The National.

“Most of these bookings have come from English fans, which I was fairly surprised about in case England don’t get to the final.

“We feel the price would suit the mid-range of individuals unable to afford or wanting to pay for an exclusive private jet, but who are willing to pay slightly more for the nicer experience.

“By going from the private terminal, it will be much quicker, too.

“It seems that a lot of people would like to go to the World Cup final for the experience, regardless of if their country gets through or not.”

ME Jets has managed to secure a Boeing 737, a 64-business-class-seat private aircraft, a 16-seater Global 6000 jet and an eight-seat Hawker 750 for same-day return flights during the World Cup.

Daily flights will depart from the private Jetex FBO terminal at DWC.

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Passengers can check in at a private terminal at the Dubai South airport and access a dedicated departure lounge.

For the time being, most bookings have come in groups of 15 or more.

England’s match against the US is proving the most popular group game, with half the flights sold already.

Fans are also adopting this method for its convenience factor, in order to avoid overpriced hotels and to cut down wait time at an airport.

Thomas Mold, a financial trader in Dubai, will be flying to Doha to watch England play the US with his father David and friend Luke Wilson.

“We all went together to the Russia World Cup, which was a great experience,” said Mr Mold, originally from Essex, who has lived in the UAE for eight years, reported The National.

“Because of the hotel situation, either not being enough rooms or too expensive, it made sense to hop on a plane and come back.

“The best thing is no waiting around at the airport, it is much more convenient, as it is so close. It’s great to have a World Cup on our doorstep,” he continued.

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The flights will depart four hours before every kick-off and return three hours after the end of each match. Passengers need to arrive at the departure terminal half an hour before the flight is due to leave.

Commercial flights to Doha are already exceeding demand despite adding more flights to the schedule. Those who can afford it are considering private aviation.

Travel data from industry specialists Sojern showed flight bookings to Qatar during the tournament from across the Middle East have increased by more than 4,000 per cent since the start of 2022.

Demand is also high in Europe, where a spike of 400% since January has been recorded, with similar numbers from Asia, Australasia and the Americas.

Jetex, another private jet operator out of Dubai World Central, has also seen surging demand for World Cup charters.

“Passengers clearly want the convenience of flying into Qatar, attending matches and then returning to Dubai afterwards,” said Oleg Kafarov, director of corporate communications at Jetex reported The National.

The cost of a charter from Dubai to Doha for up to 10 passengers is set to cost Dh240,000.

This includes the use of all facilities, including a private lounge at the Jetex VIP terminal.

Private aircraft at their disposal include Falcon, Bombardier and Lear jets, depending on the configuration and seats required.

Passengers can choose what time they want to fly and return and would need to be at the terminal at least 15 minutes before departure.

The company is expecting interest to increase for the semi-final and final matches and are looking to keep up with demand.