5 February 2024: Smart Aviation, the leaders in global sports charters, charged head on at the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship this past weekend, flying the first of its charters of the tournament, to the first match of the competition in France.

On Thursday, 1 February, Smart flew over 2,000 Irish fans to Marseille to watch Ireland beat France 38-17 at Stade Vélodrome on Friday, claiming their biggest win ever over France. On Friday, 2 February, the team transported over 1,000 excited England fans from Manchester and Birmingham to watch England soar to victory over Italy (27-24) at Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

Working with two of Smart’s key airline partners, Transavia and Jet2.com, the first round of flights operated seamlessly, with Smart representatives on to ensure smooth departures. Likewise for the return flights, the Smart Team were there to assist with the prompt departures. 

The Smart Team is already busy preparing for the next round of flights in the tournament; five charters for 1,500 Scottish fans flying to Rome from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Prestwick for Scotland V Italy on 9th March, a match taking place back at the iconic Stadio Olimpico. 

Mark Hawkins, Smart Aviation Managing Director, said: “It’s all systems go for our comprehensive schedule of characters in this year’s Six Nations tournament. We are really proud to have flown over 3,000 fans in the first weekend and are looking forward to our continued involvement over the upcoming weeks and as the competition progresses further”. 

Smart Aviation was founded in 2005 by Managing Director Mark Hawkins, an established sports charter specialist with over 30 years’ experience in senior operational roles within the travel and aviation industry, including managing sports charters at Excel Airways. Over the last 18 years, Mark has led Smart Aviation to become the leaders in global sports chartering. Mark is still very active in sports chartering, frequently providing air travel for global sports teams to key sporting fixtures including Champions League and Premier League football matches, as well as to ice-hockey, boxing, basketball, golf, motorsport and cricket tournaments.

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