Qantas Charter Flight Leaves For Uruguayan Mission

will today farewell the Boeing-767 aircraft that will bring the Socceroos home for their vital FIFA World Cup qualifier match at Telstra Stadium on Wednesday night.

Qantas will today farewell the Boeing-767 aircraft that will bring the Socceroos home for their vital FIFA World Cup qualifier match at Telstra Stadium on Wednesday night.

The Qantas charter flight will leave Uruguay around 3 hours after the final whistle at the Estadio Centenario which will help the Socceroos arrive at Sydney International Airport some 20 hours earlier than had they traveled on a commercial flight.

In addition Qantas will also install some extra features on the plane, to assist in the physical recovery of the Socceroos en route to Sydney, including massage facilities and 70 kg of ice.

“The FFA and the Socceroos are extremely appreciative of the support that Qantas has provided to allow the team to arrive home in the best physical and mental condition for them to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup,” Football Federation Australia CEO John O-Neill said today.

Over 100 people from Qantas have been involved in this charter flight from logistics to maintenance workers, cabin crew to chefs, all working together to support the team in this historic sporting event.

Executive General Manager of Qantas, Mr John Borghetti said that as sponsors of the Socceroos and major supporters of football in Australia, Qantas had done everything it could to assist the Australian team and give them every possible advantage for this important game.

“We hope our support will give Australia an extra boost and further improve the Socceroos chance of qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.”