An early start - UEFA Conference League MD1 2 October 2024

2 October 2024

Istanbul Basaksehir vs. SK Rapid Wien

16.30h (17.30h local time), Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium, Istanbul

In one of the two first games of the Conference League proper this season, Rapid Wien travel to Istanbul to face Basaksehir. Rapid have qualified directly for the league phase thanks to their league position. In the meantime, the Turkish representatives had to survive three qualifier round to make it in the league phase of UEFA's third-tier international club competition.

TK3276 VIE 1000-1255 IST A321 TC-JTM (01/10/24)

TK3273 IST 2120-2245 VIE A321 TC-JSP (02/10/24)

Turkish Airlines Airbus A321 TC-JST
seen at Basel-Mulhouse in July 2019

Vitoria Guimarães vs. Celje

16.30h (15.30h local time), Estadio D. Afonso Henriques, Guimarães

As the national champions of Slovenia, Celje started their qualifying path in the UEFA Champions League, but defeated by Slovan Bratislava and then Shamrock Rovers, they still had to beat Armenia's Pyunik Yerevan for their spot in the league phase of the Conference League. Vitoria beat FC Zürich and Zrinjski Mostar comprehensively to qualify.

C3281 LJU 1110-1325 OPO A320 9A-BTK (01/10/24)

C3209 OPO 2145-0140(+1) LJU A320 9A-BTK (02/10/24)

Second part of the first matchday - UEFA Europa League MD1 26 September 2024

As this week is the UEFA Europa League's exclusive week, the match day is split across Wednesday and Thursday. Nine matches took place on Wednesday, with another nine matches to be played on Thursday. This means more action on the pitch, but also in the sky, where most teams travel to their away matches.

26 September 2024

Fenerbahçe SK vs. Union Saint-Gilloise

18.45h (19.45h local time), Sükrü Saracoglu, Istanbul

The second part of the match week will be opened in Istanbul. Fenerbahçe will look to bounce back from the narrow defeat against Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers while Union Saint-Gilloise are looking to make this their best international season ever. The Belgian team travels to Istanbul on a Brussels Airlines Airbus A319.

SN1165 BRU 1200-1620 SAW A319 OO-SSA (25/09/24)

SN1166 SAW 1445-1720 BRU A319 OO-SSS (27/09/24)

Malmö FF vs. Rangers FC

18.45h, Stadion, Malmö

While Malmö FF may be the reigning Swedish champions, the Champions League proper proved to be one step too far for them. Rangers tried to attempt and qualify for the Champions League too, via the league path. But just like for Malmö, the big competition was too big for them.

ENT547 GLA xxxx-1730 MMX B738 (25/09/24)

AS Roma vs. Athletic Bilbao

21.00h, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Two well experienced European clubs meet at the iconic Stadio Olimpico in Rome to start their quest for a ticket to the UEFA Europa League final in Bilbao. That is correct - it may be a home final for the Athletic Club, if everything goes well throughout the season. AS Roma with their star strikers like Artem Dovbyk or Paulo Dybala will definitely not make life any easier for the Basque team however.

JQ1265 BIO 1045-1255 FCO B738 (25/09/24)

JQ1266 FCO 0115-0325 VIT B738 (27/09/24)

Olympique Lyonnais vs. Olympiacos

21.00h, Parc OL, Décines-Charpieu

One of Greece's finest teams makes the trip over from Athens to Lyon. Olympiacos finished the Greek Super League in third place in summer 2024 and therefore qualified for the Europa League. The bigger achievement for them however must have been winning the UEFA Europa Conference League in spring 2024, becoming the first Greek club team to bring home a European trophy.

AEE4080 ATH xxxx-1315 LYS A320 (25/09/24)

AEE4081 LYS 0115-xxxx ATH A320 (26/09/24)

Ajax Amsterdam vs. Besiktas JK

21.00h, Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam

A lot of away support will be expected in Amsterdam. But with so many Turkish supporters leaving in the Netherlands and nearby Germany, expectations for charter flights were low from the beginning. The Besiktas team arrives at Amsterdam from Sabiha Gökçen on a Freebird Airlines Airbus A320.

FH1903 SAW xxxx-1710 AMS A320 (25/09/24)

FH1903 AMS 1200-xxxx SAW A320 (27/09/24)

TC-FHP, Freebird Airlines, Airbus A320

seen at Manchester in September 2022

Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Viktoria Plzen

21.00h, Waldstadion, Frankfurt

The journey from Plzen to Frankfurt may not be particularly long. But even for the bus-travel-hardened Czech people, an aircraft is better than a bus journey. Therefore, Viktoria Plzen decided to charter a Frost Air Saab 2000 for their quick trip to Germany. 

FRO060 PRG 1155-xxxx FRA SB20 (25/09/24)

FRO061 FRA xxxx-1130 PRG SB20 (27/09/24)

SC Braga vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv

21.00h (20.00h local time), Estadio Municipal, Braga

In very difficult times back home, a trip to the West must feel like a liberation for the Maccabi Tel Aviv team and staff. Whether they can maintain concentration and dedication for European-level football remains to be seen however. SC Braga may not sound like the fanciest of oppositions. But they are a team that is not to be taken lightly in any competition.

LY5563 TLV 1415-xxxx OPO B738 (25/09/24)

LY5564 OPO xxxx-1650 TLV B738 (27/09/24)

Lift-Off for the new Europa League - League Phase MD1 25 September 2024

Just like the UEFA Champions League, the Europa League this year kicks off with an exclusive week and matches played over two days rather than all on one day. A total of 36 teams qualified for the league phased that has the same structure as in the Champions League. Compared to previous years, no teams parachute from one competition to another once the season proper has started. This also means that the winners of the previous year's UEFA Europa League (Atalanta Bergamo in this case) will not have the chance to defend their title. All in all, the new format should provide exciting fixtures however, even if the league phase has been extended by two games compared to the "old" group stage.

25 September 2024

Bodø/Glimt vs. FC Porto

18.45h, Aspmyra Stadium, Bodø

Having only finished 3rd in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, FC Porto face a trip up to the North where they face Bodø/Glimt in the first round of the league phase. For the 4,5h flight from Porto do Bodø, the team uses widebody equipment in form of a EuroAtlantic Airways Boeing 777-200/ER.

YU709P LIS 0950-1040 OPO B772 CS-TSX (24/09/24, ferry flight)

YU1893 OPO 1510-2030 BOO B772 CS-TSX (24/09/24)

YU1893 BOO 1200-1530 OPO B772 CS-TSX (26/09/24)

AZ Alkmaar vs. Elfsborg

18.45h, AZ Stadion, Alkmaar

Two of the smaller teams in the competition face off in the first round. It is no big surprise that the charter flight for Elfsborg is also a rather small one - Frost Air with one of their Saab 2000 aircraft.

FRO81 GOT 1500-1630 AMS SB20 OY-FSD (24/09/24)

Manchester United vs. Twente Enschede

21.00h (20.00h local time), Old Trafford, Manchester

The UEFA Europa League may not be Manchester United's aim in terms of European football. But in years of lesser success, they have to make do with opponents like Twente Enschede rather than the big clubs that play in the Champions League. Both the Twente FC team and a group of supporters will first head to Germany, where the flights depart from Münster-Osnabrück to Manchester.

EZE959 HUY 0700-0905 FMO E170 G-CMLI (24/09/24, ferry flight)

EZE9599 FMO 1100-1130 MAN E170 G-CMLI (24/09/24)

FRO903 HAM 0930-1010 FMO SB20 OY-FSB (24/09/24, ferry flight)

FRO003 FMO xxxx-1135 MAN SB20 (25/09/24)

EZE9600 MAN 1400-xxxx FMO E170 (26/09/24)

FRO004 MAN 1400-xxxx FMO SB20 (26/09/24)

G-CMPI, Eastern Airways, EMB-170

seen at Luton in May 2024

OGC Nice vs. Real Sociedad San Sebastian

21.00h, Allianz Riviera, Nice

This season's Spanish representatives in the UEFA Europa League are exclusively from the Basque country. Real Sociedad qualified for the secondary European Cup by virtue of finishing 6th in La Liga. Their opponents away at first are OGC Nice, 5th of the French Ligue 1 in the 2023-24 season. The travel arrangements include the typical late night return to Vitoria instead of the departure port, owing to night flight restrictions at San Sebastian Donostia airport. And not just this - the outbound flight departs from nearby Pamplona as well.

ENT555 PNA xxxx-1240 NCE B738 (24/09/24)

ENT558 NCE 0115-xxxx VIT B738 (26/09/24)

Ludogorets Razgrad vs. Sparta Prague

21.00h (22.00h local time), Huvepharma Arena, Razgrad

For Bulgarian champions Ludogorets, it will be two Czech opponents in as many weeks, starting with Sparta Prague who also started their international campaign in the UEFA Champions League qualifier rounds. For the two-hour trip to Bulgaria, Sparta will once again count on the services of Smartwings and one of their Boeing 737-800s - regular guests to Varna on charter flights as well.

Update: Smartwings sent A320 ZS-GAC, on lease from Global Aviation in South Africa for this job.

QS4344 PRG 1530-1835 VAR A320 ZS-GAC (23/09/24)

QS4345 VAR 1400-1510 PRG B738 (26/09/24)

Dynamo Kyiv vs. SS Lazio Rome

21.00h, Volkspark, Hamburg

Dynamo Kyiv are forced to play their home matches in exile and will do so in Hamburg. First up, they will host Lazio, who will arrive from Rome with Aeroitalia. At the same time, Dynamo Kyiv will also arrive in Hamburg by plane, using LOT for the trip over from Lublin.

LO7237 LUZ 1100-1250 HAM E75S SP-LIK (24/09/24)

LO7236 HAM 1340-1505 WAW E75S SP-LIL (24/09/24, ferry flight)

XZ8822 FCO 1545-1815 HAM B738 9H-GAE (24/09/24)

XZ8823 HAM 1030-xxxx FCO B738 (26/09/24)

LO7283 HAM 1700-xxxx LUZ (26/09/24)

Galatasaray Istanbul vs. PAOK Saloniki

21.00h (22.00h local time), Rams Park (Ali Sami Yen), Istanbul

It is a short trip and a late departure for PAOK on the way over to Istanbul. Aegean Airlines will do the job with one of their Airbus A320s.

AEE4190 SKG 1730-1830 IST A320 SX-DVV (24/09/24)

AEE6192 IST 1930-2045 SKG A320 SX-DVV (24/09/24, ferry flight)