Football crazy and plane crazy fans splash cash to travel to Euro finals

Football fans struggling to find flights to the Champions and Europa League finals have a solution -  and it will only cost three times more than a ‘low-cost’ airline.

Private jet charter specialists Luxaviation UK have seen a surge in £25,000 bookings for the showpiece all-English finals, which see Tottenham take on Liverpool and Arsenal and Chelsea contest a London derby 3,000 miles away in Azerbaijan.

Budget airlines have cashed in with return flights costing over £1,000, with EasyJet hiking prices by 683%, a decision slammed as ‘shameful’ by Liverpool mayor Steve Rotheram.

But the charter price of a private jet from London Luton Airport to Madrid, on a Cessna Citation Excel, suitable for up to eight passengers, equates to approximately £3,125 per person. 

Supporters are setting out on tortuous journeys this weekend to save cash with two Chelsea fans making an eight day journey, which includes four flights, a 24-hour train journey and a taxi.

But you can still let the plane take the strain - and live the high life just like £330,000 a week Premier League stars.

“I received a phone call within four minutes of the final whistle of Liverpool’s Champions League semi-final victory against Barcelona, which was an immediate booking for an Embraer Legacy flight to the final in Madrid,” said Patrick Margetson-Rushmore, chief executive of Luxaviation UK. 

“The all-English affair has been extremely popular with our clients this year. Due to the hike in airline and hotel prices, football fans have been paying a relatively similar fee to fly privately, giving them access to all the timesaving and exclusivity benefits that a commercial airline simply cannot provide. 

“For the Europa League final, Baku is an extremely difficult destination to get to, with airlines offering no direct flights, meaning travel time takes the best part of 24 hours. Flying privately will get you to Baku in under six hours.”