Amir Naran, born and raised in Zimbabwe to an Indian family in the shoe industry, enjoys wide renown. He now spends most of his time between Dubai and London, which presents logistical challenges for driving his fleet of cars after making millions operating private flights for celebrity and political clients. Naran, whose company "Viamana Private Jets" has offices in Los Angeles and New York, stated, "I have a rare Porsche Carrera GT that cost me £1.5 million ($1.9 million) stored at Dubai Airport. If I travel anywhere, Emirates Airlines will put it on the next flight to wherever I'm going, and we'll meet there at the destination."
At 38 years old, Naran is one of thousands of wealthy car owners who do not think much about buying plane tickets for their cars and take advantage of specialized car shipping services offered by many major airlines, especially those in the Middle East. The car transport companies have evolved by collaborating with airlines and private family offices of the wealthy. This time is particularly busy for this type of business, as the richest residents of Gulf countries prepare to travel to cooler climates for the summer season.
The last time Naran shipped his Porsche from Dubai to London with Emirates Airlines, he said it cost £28,000 ($36,000), just a bit more than he might have spent after landing to buy a brand new Golf from a Volkswagen dealer in West London.
Naran explained to CNN from Cape Town, where he had just arrived for a wedding without the need for a car, that "I also have private jet clients who are wealthy and less price-sensitive than I am and do not want to transport their cars on commercial airlines; in this case, they will hire a cargo plane from us that costs millions." Wealthy individuals often take entire fleets of cars with them when they travel, loading the vehicles, along with motorcycles and other toys, onto the chartered cargo planes that accompany their private jets. Trucks are then used to complete the overland journey and deliver the cars to clients' addresses.
