If parts of northern Europe were overshadowed yesterday by large numbers of aircraft flying east, it was not the much-vaunted arrival of very-light jets but merely private and chartered business-jets flying well-heeled soccer enthusiasts to Moscow for the European Champions League soccer final. The event is perhaps the greatest sporting occasion in the region’s calendar, ranking in popularity among the seriously wealthy alongside the Monaco Grand Prix Formula 1 motor race, which itself takes place this coming weekend in Monte Carlo.
Two sets of circumstances have coincided this year to raise the event’s profile, possibly further stimulating interest and therefore executive travel demand: the match involves two English teams playing against each other, as well as the prospect of a Russian-owned overseas club appearing in the year that Moscow hosts the event. While potential visa-allocation procedural “issues” have been resolved, allowing ordinary fans with tickets to attend by whatever travel means they can afford, there has been tremendous demand for private-aircraft capacity from London-based Russians.
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