Sports charter specialist Smart Aviation is entering its fourth consecutive European Championship football operation. Since the company started 15 years ago, Smart has transported thousands of teams and football fans around Europe to attend this high-profile competition, including Austria and Switzerland (2008), Poland and Ukraine (2012) and France (2016).

UEFA European Championship qualifying heats up next month with teams battling it out in the play-off semi-finals (26 March) and play-off finals (31 March) in host cities including Iceland, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia, Scotland, Norway, Georgia and North Macedonia. Smart Aviation's charter operations begin with fixed flights for a number of the teams and supporters involved.

Founded in 2005 by MD Mark Hawkins, Smart has overseen key sporting fixtures around the world, including Champions League and Premier League football matches, as well as to ice-hockey, boxing, basketball, golf, motorsport and cricket tournaments.

Hawkins said: “We have a reputation for offering the highest level of service in aircraft chartering and that's why a lot of sports teams and official supporter groups rely on our expertise to ensure both players and fans get to where they need to be promptly, comfortably and safely. A Euro Championship year is always very exciting for us as a company, and we are delighted to be looking after a number of teams this year, as well flying fans to support their countries. Our experience allows us to pre-empt every possible scenario in the competition and plan for any outcome.”

With the final play-off just four days after the semi-finals, it is still to be determined which teams will play in which country during the final qualifying stage. This can cause huge operational challenges with transportation for both players and fans. Smart Aviation, however, has the advantage with 15 years' experience, an accomplished manager, a tight staff formation and long-standing supplier relationships, meaning aircraft are currently on hold and ready to fly both the national teams and official supporters to their final play-off matches.

The Euro 2020 competition, which starts 12 June 2020 with Turkey playing Italy in Rome, will be different from previous years as there are 12 host countries and Smart Aviation boasts many forward bookings during the competition to an array of different host destinations. These bookings will take a great deal of logistical planning, particularly as the teams progress through the stages and the fixtures become finalised.