2024 sport snapshot (so far)

Soccer

2024 has already been a busy year for soccer charters, with the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League taking us through from 2023 up until June. We organized a number of charters over the course of the competition, with two for the final itself on 1^st June, and, with less than a month’s break before the qualifying round of the next Champions League, quickly followed by the commencement of Copa América in June, soccer charters continued to prove popular.

Across June and July, Europe braced itself for the first instalment of the UEFA Euro free from Covid-19 restrictions. Our Commercial Jets Division started receiving calls as soon as the initial group stages were drawn in December 2023; this, along with Germany’s central location in Europe meant that we expected a vast increase on charter numbers for Euro 2020, and that is what we received – delivering 57 sectors over the course of the competition. An ideal pick as host country for Euro 2024, Germany, and its position in Europe meant that, for the first time in a while, corporate day trips became a possibility – flying to Germany in the morning, watching the match, and then heading home in the evening (or, indeed after a single night’s stay).

We regularly transport any large number of cogs in the Euros machine during the course of these tournaments – the national soccer associations, sponsors, the media, and groups of fans; some teams also chose to swap the usual ‘team bus’ for a ‘team plane’, meaning that we arranged multiple flights across the length and breadth of the competition.

Alex explained, “we have previously seen in chartering past soccer tournaments, that, as excitement builds, and the national teams secure a place in the next round of the competition, a flurry of more last-minute requests come in on the trail of witnessing their nation hoist the famous trophy, and the Euro 2024 was no exception to this rule.

“Charter flights are essential to the successful operation of these kinds of tournaments, as they take pressure off scheduled services who would not be able to cope with the huge influx of fans. With over three million people making the pilgrimage to the Euros this year in the hope of witnessing their nation become victors, and with scheduled flights overwhelmed by demand increasing the cost of remaining flight tickets exponentially, consider a charter to guarantee you remain hot on the trail of your favourite team.”

Moritz Geschke, Team Leader in our Commercial Jet Department at our Frankfurt Office recently facilitated a top German Bundesliga team’s first US tour. Flying from Leipzig to JFK, via Keflavik, the team embarked on a pre-season tour of promotional activities and friendly matches. With livery personalisation and a sea of the team’s insignia adorning every headrest, excitement was palpable, and the team were in high spirits for their pan-Atlantic summer tour. The team played two friendly matches across the tour, both against British teams, claiming a victory in New Jersey and a defeat in Miami. Regardless of the result, the team made sure to mix business with pleasure pre-season, partaking in activities including tours of the Statue of Liberty and Times Square, trying their hand at American Football, and sky diving lessons. Morale remained high across the whole tour – a first trip to the US for a number of the players; hailed as a roaring success by the team and their management, thanks in part to Moritz and the Frankfurt Commercial Jets team – a definite highlight of our sports charters so far this year.

Cricket

The first half of the year saw both the Men and Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup. As the tournament’s stadia spanned the US and West Indies, with some consecutive venues being 2,500 miles apart, ACS organised a number of charters across the tournament for a number of teams, officials, and members of the sports media.

ACS’s involvement became widely-reported when our Mumbai office received a call from the BCCI (India’s national cricket governing body) requesting a charter to bring the men’s national team (and victors of the competition) home in style. Our Mumbai office skillfully executed the complicated logistical plan, despite tropical storm Beryl’s best attempts to scupper them. We arranged two charters for the team, transporting them from Bridgetown in Barbados, to Mumbai to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, before continuing to their final destination of Delhi in advance of their victory parade and heroes’ welcome.

Rugby

Last year, we arranged over 100 charter flights for the Rugby World Cup, flying over 16,000 fans to and from France over the two-month tournament period. As we are now firmly into the second half of 2024, the Six Nations is fast approaching – kicking off in January, charters have already started rolling in ahead of the captivating championship.

Looking Forward

Although only a couple of months since Real Madrid hoisted the cup, the qualifiers for the 2024-25 instalment of the UEFA Champions League are already in full swing, and shortly the first round matches will be upon us. The Six Nations take us into 2025, meaning that the 2026 World Cup (and the first on North American soil since 1994) won’t be far behind. With enquiries for 2026 starting to pour in, and bookings for the Champions League and the Six Nations reducing the pool of available aircraft, there’s no time to lose to secure your charter for what promises to be a stirring season of sport; contact Alex or one of the team to discuss your charter requirements.