Private Jets, a "flight" necessity in the Middle East

(Reuters) - "Private jets, once playthings of the rich, have become a necessity for travelers in the restive Middle East and North Africa... after protests toppled rulers in Tunisia and Egypt this year and the unrest spread to Gulf states including Bahrain, Yemen, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.... "People were desperate to leave," Paras Dhamecha, executive director of Dubai-based operator Empire Aviation Group, said of Egypt ...

The Gulf's proximity to North Africa, where much of the fighting has been centered, has made havens of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia...

The need is not just for speed but also for privacy, in some cases, as politicians, diplomats and other public figures opt to evade the media glare.... Business jets also offer a certain discretion -- reports of Egyptian, Tunisian and Libyan politicians fleeing on private jets have been widely reported during the current unrest. "They (private jets) are a means of traveling under the radar," said Sudeep Ghai, partner at London-based airline and airport consulting firm Athena Aviation..."