Premier League clubs are facing travel chaos after a major flight operator suspended its operations.
The top six giants - including Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and the rest - have all used Jota Aviation for domestic charter flights to get to and from games.
However, Jota has suddenly stopped operating leaving top-flight clubs in the lurch and facing huge extra cost or trying to find alternative ways to travel. Jota are reported to have gone into administration. Clubs routinely use luxury private planes from select airports - often using private terminals - within England to get to Premier League games with United even flying to Leicester and Arsenal taking a 20 minute plane ride to Norwich
Jota operated all of the domestic flights for the top six leaving clubs furious and angry at the sudden shutdown with no warning as one source said: “This has created one hell of a mess. There’s been no warnings or communication, it’s outrageous.”
It means clubs are facing a scramble to get alternative travel - but Brexit is in danger of blocking those plans for domestic travel. Travel experts say you can only use British registered planes for domestic flights and teams will either have to use bigger planes because smaller flights will not accommodate players and staff or make last minute plans to travel by coach or train instead Top bosses like Pep Guardiola or Antonio Conte put huge store in the importance of well organised travel, putting plans in place weeks in advance. And this sudden development has left clubs firmly in the lurch ahead of this weekend’s fixtures.
Woodward still keen on football job
Ed Woodward is determined to stay in football even after his turbulent time at Manchester United.
United’s former executive vice-chairman left the club two months ago and the 50-year-old’s background in investment banking left many assuming he would go straight back into the world of high finance. However, Woodward - who advised the Glazer family about their takeover at United as well as overseeing the difficult post-Fergie era at Old Trafford - has held a string of meetings with executives, clubs and high fliers with the idea of staying in the game.
Woodward cited his opposition to the European Super League as a reason for him bringing forward his exit while one of his last acts at United was to mastermind the deal to bring back Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford. But overall, Woodward was often help up as public enemy No1 among United fans and critics alike as the club have been in steady decline in the past ten years. That makes his decision to stay in football in whatever role all the more surprising.
