British & Irish Lions Soar to Australia on Special Qatar Airways Flight Ahead of 2025 Tour
DUBLIN, Ireland – The British & Irish Lions squad departed Dublin today on a special flight aboard Qatar Airways Boeing 777 en route to Australia via Doha, marking the beginning of the much-anticipated Qatar Airways British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia 2025.
Members of the squad and management team, led by Head Coach Andy Farrell, boarded the aircraft from Dublin Airport’s North Runway, following their warm-up fixture against Argentina at Aviva Stadium. Among the travelling party were familiar faces including Captain – Maro Itoje, and breakout talent – Henry Pollock, alongside other members of the England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales national teams.
The special flight, operated by Qatar Airways – the Official Title Partner and Official Airline Partner of the Tour – featured the airline’s award-winning Qsuite and Starlink-powered high-speed Wi-Fi, ensuring a connected and comfortable journey for the Lions squad as they head Down Under.
As the nine-time Skytrax World’s Best Airline, Qatar Airways is proud to connect the Lions to Australia through its Doha hub, offering a premium inflight experience to match the occasion.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, said: “Flying the Lions squad to Australia is more than a journey – it’s a statement of our continued commitment to the world of sport and rugby. We’re proud to play a central role in delivering this iconic tour, ensuring the team travels in comfort, style, and connected at every mile.”
Dublin Airport Managing Director, Gary McLean, said: “This is a really exciting day for Dublin Airport as we facilitate the departure of the British and Irish Lions. The airport’s own team, including our Platinum VIP service, has pulled out all the stops to ensure the Lions’ tour started smoothly and we wish Andy Farrell and his squad the very best as they embark on what we all hope will be a very successful tour of Australia. It’s fantastic to see such a strong Irish representation in the squad and management team and we are looking forward to welcoming many Australia-bound Lions fans departing from Dublin Airport over the coming weeks to support their heroes down under.”
About Qatar Airways
A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways won the ‘World’s Best Airline’ for an unprecedented ninth time at the 2025 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax. Qatar Airways was previously named the World’s Best Airline in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2024. The airline continues to be synonymous with excellence, and has yet again received recognition for ‘World’s Best Business Class’, and ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge’. As the leading connector in the region, Qatar Airways has also been lauded with the ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’ title for the twelfth time.
Qatar Airways currently flies to over 170 destinations worldwide, connecting through its Doha hub, Hamad International Airport, the ‘Best Airport in the Middle East’ for 11 consecutive years, as well as ‘World’s Best Airport Shopping’ for the third year in a row, as voted by Skytrax. Hamad International Airport has previously been named the ‘World’s Best Airport’ by Skytrax in 2021, 2022, and 2024.
Qatar Airways was the first Airline in the Middle East to be certified to the highest level of IATA’s Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) programme, based on recognised environmental management system principles (such as ISO 14001). As an inaugural signatory to the Buckingham Palace Declaration in March 2016, Qatar Airways became the first airline globally to be certified to the industry standard for the prevention of illegal wildlife trafficking in aviation.
