7 November 2023: Smart’s sport charter division has been operating its extensive schedule of Champions League charters since the first match on 19 September. With over 18 flights already confirmed in the qualifying rounds this season, Smart’s sports brokers are running at full pace. 

Tonight the Smart team will play a part in Newcastle United F.C.’s iconic Champions League return as we have chartered three aircrafts from Newcastle to Dortmund and Düsseldorf for excited Newcastle fans. Newcastle United F.C. are back in the Champions league following a 20 year absence and a large number of fans will travel to the German city today to watch their team’s eagerly anticipated comeback continue against Borussia Dortmund. We wish Newcastle the best of luck for the match tonight. 

The Smart Team also arranged a number of aircraft for Celtic fans from Scotland to Madrid today. Celtic F.C. will take on Atlético de Madrid tonight in the Group E match at Wanda Metropolitano in Spain’s capital city. We have also been involved in arranging charters for some teams in the tournament, but due to confidentiality, we’ll have to keep that top secret. 

Clive Head, Smart’s senior sports charter broker, said: “The Champions League season has been non-stop for us as always but we are also enjoying being involved in some other sporting charters too outside of football. This week we are flying a national team to Finland to compete in a mini-tournament between four leading ice-hockey teams. Our operation is seamless in part because we are always kept on our toes. The requirements for ice-hockey team charters are totally different to football, so it takes very different management from the choice of aircraft, to the vast list of equipment and squad numbers.”

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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