British businessman in Dubai paid £150,000 to charter private jet for ‘easy way out’ as Iran war rages

Samuel Leeds saw debris from a drone fall onto his family’s home - but told The Independent he didn’t take the extraordinary measures to leave the UAE due to the missiles NewsWorldMiddle EastBritish businessman in Dubai paid £150,000 to charter private jet for ‘easy way out’ as Iran war ragesSamuel Leeds saw debris from a drone fall onto his family’s home - but told The Independent he didn’t take the extraordinary measures to leave the UAE due to the missiles Anjana Sankar Thursday 05 March 2026 19:15 GMTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoverLove Islander manages to escape Dubai after three failed attempts amid Middle East conflictYour support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. 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We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreA British property investor says he paid £150,000 to charter a private jet back to England after a military drone fell on his seven-bedroom villa in Dubai.Samuel Leeds flew back to the UK on Wednesday after witnessing debris from an Iranian drone fall “like a hailstorm” on his beachfront property, while he was with his children in Palm Jumeirah on Saturday night.However Mr Leeds claimed he did not leave because of missiles fired during the ongoing US-Iran war, and expects to be back in the UAE within two weeks.“That was the easy way out,” he told The Independent. “I didn’t leave because of the missiles. I’m hosting a business networking lunch with more than 1,000 people and there was no way I was going to miss it.”Nevertheless, Mr Leeds described the incident at his home as “unnerving”. open image in galleryBritish property developer Samuel Leeds chartered the Gulfstream jet to leave Dubai (Samuel Leeds)“Me and my kids were at home. We heard an explosion and the debris started falling,” the father of four children aged between one and eight said. “It was unnerving, especially with small children, to see missiles flying over your house.”Mr Leeds, from Buckinghamshire, attracted criticism on social media after posting about his expensive escape on social media. “If you have the money, leaving the UAE isn’t really an issue,” Mr Leeds said in a series of posts on X along with pictures of he and his brother’s family onboard.Like some of the other westerners caught up in the Middle Eastern conflict, Mr Leeds pushed back against what he described ‘false narratives’ of Dubai being unsafe.“People are not fleeing Dubai,” he insisted. “I offered free seats on the jet to my friends and no one was interested.”open image in gallerySamuel Leeds, his brother and their family. Mr Leeds says he expects to fly home within a couple of weeks (Samuel Leeds)“When people tell me in England, ‘You’re finally back from a war zone,’ I tell them Dubai is totally safe,” he continued. “I have complete trust in the UAE government. They keep people’s best interests in mind. And I am grateful for the military that is defending the country.”More than 20,000 flights to or from the Middle East have been cancelled since Saturday since the US-Israel joint military strike and Iran’s retaliatory attacks on America’s Gulf allies.Thousands have remained stranded as Iranian strikes on Gulf targets continue, with Etihad Airways and Emirates Airlines scheduled flights remaining suspended until at least March 6.But the large population of ultra-wealthy residents in Dubai means demand for private jets to leave the country has soared.Managing director of private jet charter firm Lunajets Dubai Caroline Cresp told The Independent that a 12 to 14-seat private jet from Dubai to Europe now costs more than €200,000 (£174,000), compared with €70,000–€80,000 (£61,000 – 69,000) before the conflict.open image in galleryA plume of smoke rises from the port of Jebel Ali following a reported Iranian strike in Dubai (AFP via Getty Images)“Individual seats are being sold for about €25,000 (£21,000),” said Ms Cresp. “Even if people are willing to pay those steep prices, availability is scarce.”“Capacity is extremely limited. In Dubai, limited slots are available per day,” she added, noting that departure slots from Dubai are difficult to obtain.Lunajets has operated a dozen of flights from Dubai to cities including Istanbul, Athens and Rome this week, she said, but there remains a waiting list.The land border with Oman has meanwh