Khaberni - Al Hilal Saudi Football Club has become the first club in the Kingdom and the Middle East to own an aircraft carrying the full branding of the club, as part of the partnership with the carrier.
The story of Al Hilal's new aircraft has sparked a major controversy, after some considered that it was not actually owned by the club but merely a rented aircraft bearing its logo, which opened the door to widespread discussion and debate on social media, between those who saw it as a pioneering historical step, and others who treated it with mockery or skepticism.
Al Hilal Club, under the leadership of Prince Nawaf bin Saad, launched its exclusive team aircraft bearing the club's logo on October 30th, in cooperation with Al Hilal's partner and official carrier "Flynas," in a step described as "unprecedented" in the history of Saudi and Middle Eastern football.
Al Hilal clarified on its official website that the aircraft, carrying the full identity of the club, arrived last Thursday morning at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and is of the A320neo model, one of the most prominent modern commercial aviation models.
Al Hilal confirmed that the aircraft will be available for transporting passengers across Flynas's domestic and international network, as part of a new experiment aimed at enhancing the commercial and marketing presence of the Al Hilal identity.
Thus, Al Hilal has become the first club in the Kingdom and the Middle East to own an aircraft bearing the full branding of the club, as part of the partnership with the carrier.
The team's first trip on this aircraft was from Riyadh to Doha, yesterday, in preparation for today's match against Al Gharafa of Qatar in the fourth round of the group stage of the Elite AFC Champions League.
The launch created a broad echo and significant movement in the Saudi sports community, especially among Al Hilal fans who celebrated this step and considered it a qualitative leap that demonstrates the growing stature of the club both domestically and internationally.
On the other hand, some fans on social media platforms mocked the fact that the aircraft is not owned by Al Hilal, but rather rented and merely painted with the visual identity of the club.
The controversy escalated with comparisons to similar attempts by other clubs, where some mentioned that Al Qadisiyah had previously used an aircraft in the King's Cup to transport its fans, while Al Ahli had rented an aircraft with temporary paint to transport it to Medina.
However, others responded that the comparison was not fair, as Al Hilal has the right to operate the aircraft through an ongoing official agreement, and not just for a single trip as was the case with those clubs.
Sports journalist Walid Al Faraj intervened to respond to the wave of mockery, explaining that renting aircraft is normal and common among major clubs and businessmen around the world.
Al Faraj said in TV statements: "Have you ever heard of a club owning a private aircraft? All clubs in the world that have private aircraft own them through big companies."
He added: "Is it reasonable for a team that travels 30 times a year to have an aircraft stopped for it all year long? It is natural for the aircraft to be rented... Even artists and businessmen rent aircraft, and even if they own one, it is used at specific times and left for rent at other times."
The controversy led some specialists to intervene and provide clarifications on the matter, saying on the social media site "X": "The aircraft is owned by Flynas, and the aircraft is painted only with the colors and logo of the club.. Al Hilal does not own it and does not have the right to sell or lease it.. Al Hilal has priority in traveling on this aircraft according to the agreement with Flynas, while the owner of the aircraft has the right to schedule its domestic and international flights like any other aircraft."
He added that this model is globally followed and represents a marketing commercial partnership, and not evidence of the aircraft's ownership by the club.
Some fans commented that Riyadh Air is interested in providing a similar experience with Al Nassr Club, through providing an aircraft bearing the club's logo if the company becomes the official carrier for the capital club, reflecting the marketing successes of this idea.
