MIB’s exit – mode of travel?

Written 13th April

This may be overly simplistic, but if the MIB cannot travel accross water (as Smoke Monster) and there are rules dictating that he must take all available candidiates (or some combination of them) with him to leave the island, then was the introduction of air travel a key event for the viability of his plan to escape the island? It seems that the game between Jacob and MIB has been going on since ancient times, but were there really no viable escape options previously? I know, boats and ships were available – but is that part of the reason the Black Rock was wrecked and ended up in the jungle (to eliminate it from MIB’s escape plans)? Not as interesting as other aspects of the show, but it does seem that advances in technology over the years have changed the playing field, and perhaps created some unforeseen issues/opportunities in the game.