Hull City unveil exciting venture
ILICALI’S DREAM TAKES SHAPE
HULL City have confirmed their new travel partner in what is a first for the football club.
New owner Acun Ilicali has struck a deal with Corendon Airlines becoming the first Turkish-based company the club has started working with following the takeover in January.
As part of the agreement, Corendon have completely rebranded one of their Boeing 737-800 aircraft with Tigers colours and the club’s iconic crest, and it will fly Shota Arveladze’s squad across Europe for their upcoming pre-season training camp ahead of the new season, which gets under way in late July.
In previous seasons, City’s first team have flown to long-distance domestic games and that will continue moving forward but using the new Corendon aircraft, with Ilicali suggesting the partnership will continue to help grow the City brand away from British shores.
Later this year, 250 supporters along with their plus ones will jet off on an all-expenses-paid trip to Antalya, Corendon’s base, with details expected to emerge later in the month.
“I had a dream to buy a football club in England, as part of that dream I also wanted to build a relationship between fans of my club and my country,” Ilicali said.
“Hull City is becoming more and more famous in Turkey and I want our fans to be able to experience that and also see what a beautiful country Turkey is.
“We are so happy to welcome Corendon Airlines to the Hull City family. Not only will they help us considerably with our transport needs, but they will also help spread the word of Hull City far and wide by the fantastic aircraft they have produced for us.”
Corendon’s historic partnership, as the club describes it, will see the airline start to build a stronger presence in the UK market with them expecting to operate 49 flights each week between Britain and the Turkish resort.
“As Corendon Airlines, we are operating a total of 49 flights per week from the UK in the summer of 2022,” Corendon chairman Yıldıray Karaer said.
“We have prepared a busy flight schedule between Antalya and the UK.
“We are proud of two strong brands setting out together within the scope of their growth targets in the UK.
“We are signing an exciting agreement for us in order to both become a partner in Acun Ilıcalı’s goals abroad and strengthen our operations and image in the UK.
“By bringing Hull City fans to Turkey, we also aim to act as a cultural ambassador in sports.
“We wish to fly to success together with Hull City.
“We hope that our cooperation will be beneficial to both sides.”