From the Champions Cup to the FIFA World Cup, this summer has been one to remember for our charter team, who helped sports teams and thousands of fans travel to tournaments across the world.
May
In May, the Champions Cup final saw Leinster defeated by Bordeaux Begles in Bilbao, Spain. Smart organised charter flights to transport over 2,000 fans from Bordeaux and Dublin to Bilbao, and every charter flight from Dublin Airport (DUB) for the Champions Cup final was arranged by Smart Aviation – emphasising our position as the air charter broker of choice for rugby!
Read more: Smart leads the way in rugby charter flights for Champions Cup final – Smart Aviation
And the rugby doesn’t stop – we’ve been securing aircraft throughout the summer for what’s set to be our busiest Six Nations, with over 30 aircraft already contracted for supporter travel to the tournament in 2027.
The UEFA football finals also dominated our month, with English teams in each of the three competition finals. Our VIP charter team organised private jet charters for family, friends and corporate groups to Budapest for the Champions League final and Istanbul for the Europa League final, from destinations across the globe.
Read more about our VIP group charter from London to Budapest on LinkedIn: Post | LinkedIn
June
In June, the world stage was set for the FIFA World Cup, with 48 nations competing at venues across Canada, the USA and Mexico. With long distances between fixtures, we assisted many of our regular VIP charter clients with jet charters across the continent, as well as transatlantic flights from Europe.
In our home city of London, the sun shone on Wimbledon, drawing a record attendance across the two weeks of The Championships 2026, with guests from the USA, Ireland and Italy flying into nearby Farnborough Airport (FAB) to take their seats at Centre Court.
July
Football fever continued, with the FIFA World Cup culminating in a nail-biting weekend of fixtures midway through the month. We were on hand to assist with last-minute private jet charters to ensure our clients were in Atlanta to see England claim third place, and New Jersey to see Spain crowned world champions.
Our football work continued throughout July, with European clubs requiring team travel to UEFA qualifying fixtures, pre-season friendlies and training camps.
Beyond the headline events
While Wimbledon and the World Cup dominated the headlines, they were only part of a packed summer of sport with golf majors, F1 races, international cricket, athletics meetings, cycling tours and major rugby fixtures all taking place.
We’re now gearing up for the 2026-27 season for football, handball, rugby, basketball and ice hockey, to name a few.
With long-standing experience in aircraft charter for the sports travel sectors, our team have a deep understanding of the requirements of sports teams when it comes to charter flights. We work closely with sports teams and federations across the world to source aircraft, manage logistics and keep every journey moving with confidence. Our approach is personal, responsive and detail-led, reassuring clients that their travel is in expert hands while they focus on the event itself.
Sport is in our DNA: We follow the fixtures and monitor the draws, staying one step ahead to anticipate your travel requirements. With strong operator relationships worldwide, we can secure aircraft that others may not be able to.
For all aircraft charter enquiries, contact us via [email protected] or call +44(0)1293 551244
