A Dubai-based Indian origin businessman, who got stranded on a trip to his village in Assam state after UAE banned flights from Covid 19 battered India, spent Dh 277,000 (USD 75,415.91) to charter a flight for his eight-member family to Dubai to save his business, his son has revealed.

Eight business class tickets for four adults and four kids on a regular commercial flight would have cost around Dh 40,000 (USD 10,890.38) or slightly more.

Mushtaque Anfar, a perfume maker, shelled out the huge money at the prodding of his son Abdullah Anfar.

“My father rarely spends anything on himself. He believes in using his money to help people in need. But with both of us in India, our business in Dubai would have been affected, so I convinced him and managed to secure a chartered flight on May 20 with the help of authorities in Dubai,” Abdullah Anfar, managing director, Oudh Al Anfar Perfumes, told Khaleej Times:

Anfar senior is a UAE golden visa holder who had set up his perfumes brand in India, before he moved to Dubai in 2003 and expanded his business.

Currently, the company has 40  and distributes its products to 32 countries worldwide, Khaleej Times reported.

“My father makes regular visits to Hojai, our village in Assam, for his philanthropic work. This year, he went to India in March to see his ailing mother and take stock of how he can help with Covid relief in his village.

“I followed suit in April and we were to return together on April 25. However, due to suspension of commercial flights, we got stuck and had to look for alternative ways to return to Dubai,” said Abdullah Anfar.

The flight has also grabbed the spotlight as it was the first time an international chartered flight flew out for Dubai from the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport.

(SAM)