ACS expects final phase of charter bookings in run up to Euro 2024

Leading aircraft charter specialist, Air Charter Service, says that it expects charter flight bookings for Euro 2024, from fans in particular, to ramp up in the coming weeks, as the tournament is now just around the corner.

Alex Sadat-Shafai, ACS’s Global Football Director, commented: “With Poland, Ukraine and Georgia confirming their places in Groups D, E and F respectively, the Euro 2024 set up is complete and excitement around the event is really building. We have been receiving calls since the initial group stage draw at the beginning of December last year and have already taken a lot of bookings, predominantly on larger aircraft from the FAs and teams themselves, but also some private jets. We are now entering the final phase in the run up to the tournament, and we fully expect enquiries, particularly from fan groups, to ramp up over the next month or so. Attention has firmly turned towards the tournament, with the opening games now just over two months away – most teams only having one or two warm up friendlies in early June directly before their first match.

“Charter flights play a vital role in the logistics of competitions such as this. With attendances expected to total more than two and a half million people, there is simply not enough capacity on scheduled services to cater for everyone. And, although all the matches are in Germany, many underestimate the size of the country – some of the distances between consecutive group games are four hundred miles apart.

“With Germany being so central in Europe, most competing countries are a maximum of two to three hours’ flight away. This makes it possible to do day trips for these nations to the games, especially those that are earlier in the day, flying home directly after the match. Some German airports are closed overnight, but we are well-placed to offer the nearest alternative open airport for every evening match.

“In some previous football tournaments we have chartered aircraft to every single game, so we know what to expect, as bookings usually follow a similar charter booking pattern. Football associations and teams themselves are often the first to book, followed by tournament sponsors, the media, fans and corporate clients; so we are expecting a lot more interest in the coming weeks. Then there will always be more demand as the tournament progresses, for flights when nations seal their places in the next round of the competition – before now we’ve even had phone calls from people still at the stadium looking for a flight to the next match!”