Qantas To Fly Lions For Australia Tour
Qantas has been announced as the official airline of the British & Irish Lions’ Tour to Australia in 2013, which will see the Australian airline initially flying the Lions tourists and coaching staff to Hong Kong for the team’s first ever match in the Far East against the Barbarians, before heading down under.
Qantas will fly the team and crew onto Australia for six regional fixtures, culminating in three Test matches against the Qantas Wallabies.’
Qantas regional general manager of UK and Ireland Paul Yankson said: ‘Qantas is pleased to sponsor The British & Irish Lions for the first time. We’ll be developing packages to ensure all the fans can travel to support their team in Asia and in Australia.’
Lions Tour manager Andy Irvine commented: ‘The comfort of the players on flights is vital to us, as the rigours of a Lions Tour mean that players are often out on a training pitch shortly after landing. They have to be refreshed and ready to go, and we know that the quality of operation that Qantas provide means we will arrive in great condition.’
Lions Tour director of sales and marketing Charlie McEwen added: ‘The Lions are delighted to have the support of Qantas ahead of the 2013 Tour to Australia. The support is not only invaluable to the squad and management ahead of their preparations for the Tour as Andy has outlined, but also to the fans, and we are already working hard with Qantas and Lions Rugby Travel to make next year’s fan experience better than ever.’
‘A Lions Tour is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we are excited to welcome Qantas to support both our travel and travel packages for Lions fans.’
