Bordeaux Bègles defeated Leinster Rugby in the Champions Cup final this weekend, winning 41-19, their second win in the European tournament. Congratulations to Bordeaux from all of us at Smart Aviation!
Bilbao was invaded by rugby fans, and Smart Aviation was once again involved in transporting thousands of fans from across Europe to see their team play in the final.
Matchday travel for 2,000 rugby fans
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.
Fans had the choice of a day return or a two-night trip to Bilbao, organised by our specialist sports tour operator clients.
Mark Hawkins, our Founder & Managing Director, said, “Smart has been involved in charters for rugby supporters for more than 20 years now, with the expertise and capability to organise charters for thousands of fans. We love the game, and the Irish fans make it such an enjoyable experience. I personally oversaw return departures from Bilbao and am pleased to report that every charter flight departed on time. A big thank you to our airline partners for their cooperation.
Sport is a huge part of what we do at Smart Aviation. We follow the fixtures and monitor the draws to anticipate the needs of our sports travel clients, and our strong relationships with airlines and operators worldwide enable us to secure aircraft availability ahead of big final games.”
Aircraft contracted to operate the charter flights included A320/A321 and B737-400/800 from our trusted European airline partners.
Our experience in charter flights for rugby includes playing an integral role in supporter travel for the Six Nations tournament year on year, ensuring rugby fans can travel on dedicated aircraft charters to support their nation in each round.
Our expertise in sports travel operations was cemented in 2025 when Smart Aviation became a Partner Member of i.s.t.a.a. (International Sports Travel Agencies Association), joining a global network dedicated to advancing sports tourism.
For aircraft charter enquiries, contact the team 24-7 on [email protected]
