Bumper year of sport to boost air charter industry in 2021

Sports travel is ঞ pped to be the fastest-growing sector in the air charter industry in 2021 thanks to a bumper year of high-profi le events plus new health protocols imposed by governing bodies and federaঞ ons. Major events postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic during 2020, including the Olympics, golf’s Ryder Cup and soccer’s Euro 2020 and Copa America, have been moved back 12 months. That means squeezing them into a calendar which already included an Ashes cricket tour, a British Lions rugby tour, a T20 Cricket World Cup and the usual array of Super Bowl, tennis Grand Slams, NBA Finals, Champions League, Premier League and golfi ng majors. The hope in the air charter industry is that teams, corporate sponsors and even fans (once they are eventually allowed back into stadia) will choose to charter rather than travel with a scheduled airline in a bid to have greater control over ঞ mings, desঞ naঞ ons and health risks. At Chapman Freeborn, a global aircra[ charter specialist which was fi rst established in 1973, the opportunity has prompted the appointment of its fi rst ever Group Director of Sport. Former cricketer Nick Lamb (pictured ) took on the role in August 2020 and has high hopes for the future. “When you look at the schedule, 2021 has the potenঞ al to be a fantasঞ c year for sport and also for our industry,” he said. “Chapman Freeborn has been heavily involved in sport before, but we see it as potenঞ ally the fastest-growing sector in the charter industry with real room for growth.” It is not only the number of major tournaments taking place which provides an opportunity for passenger air charter. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to sports teams and organisaঞ ons being far more aware of the health risks around travel and determined to keep their players in a bubble. Nick added: “Only recently UEFA, the governing body for European football, provided a long list of protocols for teams travelling to Portugal for the Champions League quarter-fi nals, semi-fi nals and fi nal. “It included an edict that the use of charter fl ights was ‘strongly recommended’, which highlights the way forward for sports teams when travelling abroad. “The benefi t for teams, and for sports organisaঞ ons, federaঞ ons and corporate sponsors, is that chartering a fl ight enables people to stay together in their bubble without the need for public interacঞ on at the air terminal or on the plane.

“It is also possible to personalise health and safety measures on board – whether that is leaving empty seats between passengers, extra personal protecঞ ve equipment, such as visors, for the crew or a Covid19 kit for passengers including personal mask, gloves and anঞ -bacterial wipes.” Nick believes the passenger charter will not only be a‚ racঞ ve to Premier League soccer clubs and American sporঞ ng giants but also to new customers. He added: “It might be time for smaller teams to find out what it’s like to charter. Perhaps it’s an opঞ on they haven’t explored before because it seems very easy to travel by scheduled airline. “But with the times we’re in, people are starঞ ng to look more closely

because there’s a lot of anxiety around travelling abroad. “Chartering allows teams to segregate from others and enjoy a more private experience – and they may also fi nd it’s easier to get direct to their desঞ naঞ on at a ঞ me of their choice. “I know, for instance, in Euro 2020 next year several teams - including Wales and Switzerland - are drawn to play group games in Baku. But it’s not easy to get to Baku direct by scheduled airline. “In cricket, the West Indies team fl ew by charter for the fi rst ঞ me this summer to play in England, which the ECB, the England & Wales Cricket Board, helped to organise. There are certainly new markets opening up.” The prospect of fans travelling by charter is also a possibility – if, and when, restricঞ ons are li[ ed on spectators a‚ ending sporঞ ng fi xtures. Nick said: “Nobody knows when that will happen but you’d like to think that fans will be back inside stadia at some point; and for clubs, sponsors or travel companies organising group fan travel the same advantages of chartering apply. “And when you take into consideraঞ on the way scheduled airline prices rise in the case of high demand – for instance when thousands of Liverpool soccer fans are trying to get to the same desঞ naঞ on – it can also be cost eff ecঞ ve. “Even if we have to wait longer for fans to return, however, the market for teams is going to be significant. From our point of view, and from a sporঞ ng point of view, 2021 is a big year.”