In October 2026, AFC Ajax opened their UEFA Conference League campaign away to HNK Hajduk Split. TUI, the club's Official Travel Partner, asked Fliteline to arrange a dedicated team charter. Between the draw and departure, we sourced the aircraft, coordinated the airline, both airports, the handling agents and the caterers, and managed the operation in real time until the team was home. This is how it came together.
- AMS – SPU
- Route
- 15 Oct 2026
- Fixture
- 28 Aug
- Planning began
- 6 weeks
- Awarded before flight
- Route
- Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) to Split (SPU), return
- Fixture
- HNK Hajduk Split v AFC Ajax, UEFA Conference League, Stadion Poljud, 15 October 2026
- Aircraft
- Airbus A321
- Ground handling
- AviaVIP at Amsterdam Schiphol
From the draw to departure
Eight milestones, from the Conference League draw on 28 August to the flight home.
Friday 28 August: the project begins
It started with the Conference League draw. Once the match date and the club's requirements were confirmed, including passenger capacity and aircraft type, we sourced suitable aircraft. Over the following days we evaluated the options and presented the strongest proposals to the club.
Six weeks before departure: project awarded
With the project confirmed, we moved straight into operational planning: finalising contracts, arranging suitable turnaround times, coordinating airport handling and securing airport slots. We also shared the first draft of the flight briefing, the document every later decision was built on.
Four weeks before departure: the first planning meeting
The first detailed meeting set out what every party expected from the day of travel. We agreed:
- Check-in: the procedure, the number of desks and their opening times
- Airport access and boarding: a departure gate with the shortest possible walk
- VIP arrangements: whether the team needed dedicated arrangements, and whether they could be accommodated
- Team equipment: how and when the kit would arrive, and where it should be unloaded
- Contingency plans: what we would do in case of delays, bad weather or an airport closure
- Onboard branding: customised headrest covers and the team's preferred water brand
- Inflight catering: the menu for the team and guests, confirmed with the airline against the flight time
The cabin as planned: branded headrest covers, water, a snack and a gifted Ajax scarf on each seat. Four weeks to one week before departure: bringing the suppliers together
This phase was about making sure every agreed detail was actually happening. We worked with the handling agents at both airports to finalise check-in for the team and other passengers, confirmed how the team's equipment would be handled, and coordinated catering with the caterer. Where a product wasn't available through the caterer, we sourced it ourselves and arranged delivery to the aircraft. Each update went back to TUI with the options, and each change went into a new version of the flight briefing.
Five days before departure: the final planning meeting
We reviewed every item from the first meeting and confirmed it was in place. We received the first passenger name list (PNL) and seat map, agreed what would happen if the airline had to change the aircraft at short notice (a different aircraft can mean a different seat layout), and placed the final catering order.
The day before: final operational checks
We confirmed the aircraft registration with the airline, so we knew the exact cabin layout. We checked the parking stand, the dedicated security lane for the team and the check-in area with Schiphol. We reviewed the weather at both airports and along the route, looking for storms, strong headwinds, turbulence or snow, and made the last changes to the catering order.
Flight day: putting the plan into action
On the day, planning became live coordination. We tracked the aircraft's inbound positioning flight to spot any delay early, rechecked the weather, confirmed the flight plans were filed and kept TUI updated throughout. We handled last-minute passenger list changes, made sure the branding reached the stand in time for the crew to fit it, coordinated boarding to protect the departure time, and confirmed with the turnaround coordinator that every item of luggage was loaded and matched the expected count.
Onboard and after arrival
Our work didn't stop at take-off. We checked with the cabin crew that the agreed service and welcome announcement went as planned, routed passenger requests to the designated flight representative, and stayed in touch with the flight deck about weather and any changes to the calculated take-off time (CTOT). After the flight we collected the crew's feedback and worked with the airport stations so that, if any bag went astray, it reached the destination as fast as possible.
The partners
TUI
Official Travel Partner of AFC Ajax since 2014. TUI organises travel for the team, the board, sponsors and business members.
Privilege Style
Spanish charter and wet-lease airline, founded in 2003 and based in Madrid. Privilege Style's flight crew and cabin crew operated the flight to Split and back.
AviaVIP
The business and general aviation arm of Aviapartner, with FBOs and handling stations across Europe. AviaVIP's Schiphol team managed the team's departure on the ground.
The result
A dedicated team charter is far more than an aircraft and a departure time. It takes the customer, the airline, two airports, the handling agents and the caterers working from the same plan, and someone keeping that plan current until the last bag is delivered.
Frequently asked questions
Answers drawn from the Split charter.
It starts once the fixture is known. The club, or its travel partner, confirms the match date, passenger capacity and aircraft type, and a charter specialist sources suitable aircraft and presents the strongest options. Once one is awarded, the specialist coordinates the airline, both airports, the handling agents and the caterers around a single flight briefing. For AFC Ajax's trip to Split, TUI was the client and Fliteline ran that process.
As soon as the fixture and the squad's requirements are known. For the Split trip, Fliteline began sourcing aircraft after the Conference League draw on 28 August, and the project was awarded six weeks before the flight. That left time to finalise contracts, turnaround times and airport slots, and to hold two planning meetings with every party.
It is planned for in advance. At the final planning meeting, five days before departure, we agreed what would happen if the airline had to swap the aircraft, because a different aircraft can mean a different seat layout. We then confirmed the aircraft registration with the airline the day before, so the exact cabin layout was known, and updated the flight briefing for every change.