NRL commissions more planes than ever before as Vegas interest explodes

The Australian

a day ago

In a bid to capitalise on a surge of interest, the NRL has just commissioned a fifth Qantas Dreamliner 787 aeroplane to ferry fans directly to Las Vegas next year.
And given the extraordinary interest, there is every chance a sixth plane will be ordered.
It is an unprecedented move given just two chartered planes flew to Nevada this year.
'Demand has been so high, it's been unbelievable. The interest in Vegas is growing and growing,' said NRL general manager of US expansion, John Vellis.
The first four planes have essentially sold out with a fifth now required and possibly a sixth if interest levels remain at fever-pitch.
The 2026 Las Vegas extravaganza will be played on February 28 in America (March 1 in Australia) with games comprising St George Illawarra, Newcastle, Canterbury, North Queensland, Leeds and Hull Kingston Rovers.
Four flights will depart from Sydney and another from Brisbane to cater for Cowboys supporters.
There are 236 seats on each plane.
Economy seats on all four original flights are sold out, with a few remaining in business and premium business.
A fifth flight is expected to be sold out, meaning NRL chartered flights alone will carry nearly 1200 fans to Las Vegas.
That figure will increase if a sixth plane is required.
There will be connecting flights for fans from Townsville to Brisbane and Newcastle to Sydney.
Just two NRL flights left Australia in the initial year – one each from Sydney and Brisbane, where Broncos fans boarded.
Last year was also two flights, both departing Sydney given Queensland didn't have a side competing.
From two to five flights, possibly six, shows the interest in Vegas continues to grow year-in-year.
'The charter flights are going fantastic so we are about to launch another one this week,' said Vellis.
'For the first two years we had two charters. This year we have gone up to four and we are now going to launch a fifth charter. These flights are specifically for our event.
'We have doubled the charters for next year and we are going again (for a fifth plane).
'If tickets go berserk again then we might have to launch another flight. We're not adverse to that at all.'
All flights will be themed around each participating NRL club with club legends on board along with classic matches on the in-flight monitors.
The flights will leave on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before the games and fly directly to Las Vegas. Read related topics: Qantas
Dean "Bulldog'" Ritchie has covered rugby league at The Daily Telegraph, and now CODE Sports as well, for 33 years. From the Super League war to NRL grand finals, State of Origin clashes and World Cups, Bulldog has written about the biggest issues in the game and broken many of the most important stories. NRL
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