https://arab.news/vtzh6
- Evacuation packages by plane, boat or bus to neighboring countries widely promoted on social media
- Ranging from $100 to $35,000 per package, inflated service sparks criticism for profiteering from crisis
LONDON: Companies in Lebanon are advertising evacuation packages on social media, offering escape routes to neighboring countries amid growing unrest, Arab News has learned.
Dozens of businesses have taken to platforms like Instagram to promote evacuation services via bus, taxi, boat, and plane.
One such service, Beirut-based Private Routes Flight Dispatchers, offers on-demand charter evacuation flights for up to seven people from Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport.
According to a post on their Instagram page, destinations include Egypt, Bangui M’poko International Airport in the Central African Republic, and Entebbe International Airport in Uganda.
PRFD informed Arab News that charter prices vary depending on the client’s budget and the safety of the chosen route.
For instance, a charter flight to Larnaca, Cyprus costs $25,000, but if visas are not available, flights to Amman or Istanbul rise to $36,000. Flights to Egypt are priced at $31,000.
A PRFD representative explained that, under normal circumstances, they would offer charters to Europe or the Gulf, but due to the high demand for evacuations, they are sticking to shorter routes to accommodate everyone.
PRFD’s website states they provide “urgent flight services,” leveraging 15 years of experience to ensure “smooth, efficient, and timely operations.” Their flight dispatchers use state-of-the-art technology for flight planning, the website noted.
Another travel company, Traveo Agency, which appears to have been launched in early September, offers bus journeys to Amman, Jordan for $100 per ticket, and boat trips to Ayia Napa, Cyprus for $995 per person. A post on their Instagram reads, “Canceled Flight? Travel from Beirut to Ayia Napa by boat,” promising departures within five days.
Arab News reached out to Traveo Agency for further details but received no response at the time of publication.
Instagram has been inundated with similar evacuation offers.
Byblos Rent A Boat, a yacht rental service in Beirut, posted a video offering private boat trips to Cyprus. The video, accompanied by a computer-generated voice, claims the journey takes five to six hours with a professional crew ensuring safety. Prices were not disclosed, though users commented that the cost ranged between $2,000 and $2,500, sparking criticism for profiteering during the crisis.
Lebanon has been hit by Israeli airstrikes in recent weeks, pushing the country further into what international observers have called a “systematic socio-economic and humanitarian failure.”
The crisis has deepened the already stark social and economic divide, with wealthier Lebanese able to flee the escalating violence, leaving many behind. This growing wealth gap has sparked public anger, as ordinary citizens face increasingly dire conditions while those with means secure safe passage out of the country.
As the conflict widens, both Lebanese citizens and foreign nationals are scrambling to leave, with governments urging them to get out of the country immediately. With most commercial flights suspended, options for fleeing are limited. While some countries have arranged air evacuations, many are resorting to overcrowded ferries or smaller vessels as bombs continue to strike central Beirut.
Opportunistic business practices during crises, often referred to as “disaster profiteering,” are not new to Lebanon. In past conflicts, businesses have adapted to meet wartime demands, with some smuggling essential goods or profiting from the black market.
Following the collapse of the Lebanese lira in 2019 and the ensuing economic meltdown — exacerbated by corruption, a dysfunctional government, and crumbling institutions — the black market, reportedly controlled by Hezbollah, flourished. This illicit network, which capitalized on Lebanon’s reliance on remittances as a lifeline, has enabled Hezbollah to build a sophisticated financial system, profiting off the country’s widespread suffering.