New Athletic Vueling plane will fly the Lions to Bergamo for Champions League match

The new Athletic Club and “Lion Friendly” Vueling aircraft will make its first official flight on Tuesday 20 January, when the team travels to Bergamo for their Champions League match against Atalanta BC.

Before transporting the players to Italy, the Airbus A320, with capacity for 180 passengers, will be made available to the media alongside the Athletic squad. 

This new airplane forms part of the strategic alliance between Vueling and Athletic Club, recently renewed until 2027.

The company, which operates 32 direct routes and transports one in every two passengers from Bilbao Airport, its second most important base, is thus reinforcing its position as a premium sponsor and Athletic's official airline, being the only brand featured on the first team's shorts.

This is the second season that the Bilbao-based team will use a customised aircraft. During its first year of operation, Athletic's plane has become a travelling ambassador, flying across Europe on more than 2,000 flights and carrying nearly 330,000 passengers on 165 different routes.

This pioneering initiative in LaLiga not only boosts the club's international profile, but also underscores Vueling's commitment to Bilbao, where the airline recently reached the milestone of 25 million passengers carried at Bilbao Airport.