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22nd May 2018
11:06pm BST
Real Madrid win the Champions League in 2016 (Credit: Laurence Griffiths)[/caption]
But because they want a bigger plane, they're going to have to change. Iberia, the airline which runs Real's flights, said: "This year, the trip to Kiev will be made in an Airbus A340, which has a broader fuselage, to enable as smooth as possible a journey to Ukraine and to cater for the number of seats that the club has asked for."
Captain Txomin Baztan, first officer José María Ordovás and chief attendant Manuel Díaz Pachón will now manage the flight to Kiev on Thursday.
[caption id="attachment_180028" align="alignnone" width="1200"]
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with the lucky flight crew after winning the Champions League final in 2016 (Credit: Real Madrid/Twitter)[/caption]
In a statement Iberia said: "The crew that has on previous occasions been responsible for their flights to closer destinations are not qualified to work with this type of aeroplane. They fly the Airbus A321, which is smaller (it is a 200-seater aircraft) and has less autonomy. As is required by the [Spanish] State Agency for Air Safety, they would have to take a three-month course [to gain the necessary credentials], which they haven't."
Speaking to El Mundo, a Spanish newspaper, a Real official said: "Knowing the president [of the club], he's sure to invite them to the final as guests. He's very superstitious. It's a shame that Bonet can't pilot the plane again, but this year we needed a bigger aircraft because it's a longer flight and we needed wider seats so that the players can be that bit more comfortable."
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