Another super weekend of sport concluded in the fourth round of the Six Nations tournament at the weekend, which saw the best men’s rugby teams in Europe face their opponents in Edinburgh, Dublin and Rome.
Smart Aviation were once again involved in coordinating a large movement of fans on chartered aircraft, this time for England rugby fans who travelled to Rome to see their team play Italy at the Stadio Olimpico, resulting in a disappointing 23-18 defeat. Congratulations to Italy on their first-ever win over England!
We also arranged several charter flights for French fans, who travelled to Edinburgh to witness Scotland record a historic win in a thrilling game, defeating France 50-40.
Using Boeing 737-800 and Airbus A320/321 aircraft from our trusted airline partners, Jet2.com, TUI and Titan Airways, we transported over 2,000 passengers on charter flights on behalf of our sports tour operator clients. Every flight operated on time with very positive client feedback.
England fans departed from five UK airports: Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, London Stansted and Bournemouth, where members of our team were positioned on the ground to assist with check-in and handle all the operational aspects of the flights – all part of the Smart service. Our Founder & Managing Director, Mark, was at Rome Airport on Monday to oversee all charter flights returning to the UK.
For the last 20 years, we have played an integral role in supporter travel for the Six Nations competition, ensuring rugby fans can fly at convenient times on dedicated charter flights to support their nation in each round.
Mark Hawkins, Founder & Managing Director, said “We’re now into our 21st year of providing charter flights for sports tour operations and our involvement in the Six Nations tournament remains a genuinely rewarding experience for me. Being involved in these large-scale sporting operations is a responsibility and a privilege we do not take for granted. Crucially, our experience means that we understand the logistics, the timings, and the pressures that come with tournaments of this size.”
With the schedule for Six Nations 2027 now announced, we have already secured aircraft on behalf of our clients for travel to next year’s fixtures. You can find all the dates below.
This year’s Six Nations competition concludes on Super Saturday, 14th March 2026
2027 Guinness Men’s Six Nations fixtures (times GMT):
Round 1
Friday 5 February 2027:
- Ireland v England (20:10)
Saturday 6 February 2027:
- Scotland v Italy (14:10)
- France v Wales (16:40)
Round 2
Saturday 13 February 2027:
- Italy v Ireland (14:10)
- Scotland v Wales (16:40)
Sunday 14 February 2027:
- England v France (15:10)
Round 3
Saturday 20 February 2027:
- Wales v Ireland (14:10)
- England v Italy (16:40)
Sunday 21 February 2027:
- France v Scotland (15:10)
Round 4
Friday 5 March 2027:
- Scotland v Ireland (20:10)
Saturday 6 March 2027:
- Italy v France (14:10)
- Wales v England (16:40)
Round 5: Super Saturday
Saturday 13 March 2027:
- Italy v Wales (14:10)
- England v Scotland (16:40)
- Ireland v France (20:10)
Sport is in our DNA.
We follow the fixtures and monitor the draws, staying one step ahead to anticipate sports travel requirements. With strong airline and operator relationships worldwide, we can secure aircraft that others may not be able to.
For aircraft charter enquiries, contact the team 24-7 on [email protected]
