The UK’s soccer transfer deadline day created a busy period for private jet charter operators, says Luxaviation UK.
The role of a private jet charter operator is to fly the players to their destination, meeting the requirements of the player’s agent and club.
George Galanopoulos, managing director of Luxaviation UK, said, “It is vitally important that every request is met and carried out efficiently, as even the slightest delay could sabotage any potential deal.
“Seeing as they are world-class athletes, they are not interested in the champagne and five-course meals many associate with luxury private jet travel.
“Given the nature of the transfer window, adhering to last-minute requests is a common occurrence. For example, as a result of some major issues with a scheduled commercial flight, we flew a club’s scouting department to sound out a potential new recruit.
“The club’s staff contacted us a few hours before they were due to attend a match the player was competing in and we were able to fix them up with a suitable aircraft and get them to the match on time. This simply would not have been possible with a commercial airline.”
The most commonly used aircraft when transporting footballers are the Cessna Citation II and Citation XL. From London airports, the most popular destinations on transfer deadline day were typically Barcelona and Madrid, Spain; Milan, Italy; and Munich, Germany.
