Rugby World Cup 2023

It is predicted that the 2023 Rugby World Cup will attract more than 850 million television viewers worldwide and more than 3 million spectators in the stadiums. Paris is not the only city to have the privilege of hosting this event. A total of nine cities across France will host the matches; Lille, Lyon, Nice, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes, Saint-Etienne and Paris Saint-Denis.

Pro Sky, Provider to the 2023 Rugby World Cup

This is not the first time Pro Sky has organised group flights for a sporting event. We are proud to be responsible for the preparation and delivery of all group flights for all the rugby teams competing for the title of World Champion at Rugby World Cup 2023. For more than a year after winning the tender, we have been working with the organiser to determine the most appropriate flights for each team, always with a view to minimising the impact on the environment. This is reflected in the choice of aircraft in terms of size and engine type, as well as reducing the number of empty flights.

Organisation of group flights for rugby teams

For this World Cup, we are flying 19 teams from all over the world to France, including New Zealand, Australia, Tonga, Fiji, Japan, Namibia, South Africa, Italy, Portugal, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, Romania, Georgia, Argentina, Uruguay, Samoa and Chile.

When such events are organised, not only the teams travel, but also e the staff, organisers, attendants and security personnel assigned to each team. In total, we fly more than 1,030 unique passengers across the globe, making a total of more than 3,700 passengers on our 70 flights.

To make this possible, we have mainly used scheduled flights. This means that the majority of the teams will be flying with airlines that we all know from our holidays. The most complex challenge for Pro Sky has been negotiating with each airline about business class seat capacity for such large groups. As scheduled flights were not always possible, we also chartered aircraft, another of Pro Sky’s recognised areas of expertise. In the end, on the international flights, 850 passengers will fly on 15 scheduled flights and 180 passengers on 3 chartered flights.

Including the various connections, Pro Sky provided more than 2,000 ticketsfor the entire World Cup!

When it came to travelling to the 9 different venues in France, we organised 35 charter flights and 5 scheduled domestic flights.

Environmental responsibility at the 2023 Rugby World Cup

We live in a world where sport brings people and generations together and where air travel is sometimes unavoidable. For this World Cup, however, we have made it a point of honour to keep the use of flights to a strict minimum. For travel within France during and between matches, the organisers decided to give priority to bus travel for journeys of less than 2h30 or train travel for journeys of less than 4h30. Scheduled flights were only allowed if an airport was close to the base camps and had reasonable departure and arrival times. Pro Sky, a CSR pioneer in its sector since 2015, went beyond the requirements by favouring propeller aircraft to significantly reduce paraffin consumption and limiting empty positioning flights.

Discover France’s heritage during the Rugby World Cup

Although the semi-finals and final will be held in Paris, the pool matches and quarter-finals will be played in nine different cities. For logistical reasons, the players cannot all stay in the same cities. As a result, other cities have been selected to serve as bases for the rugby players and support staff. There are no less than 20 towns in the vicinity of the venues: Le Touquet Paris plage, Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Bourgoin Jallieu, Aix-les-Bains, Nice, Toulon, Avignon, Montpellier, Perpignan, Toulouse, Libourne, Lormont, La Rochelle / Île de Ré, Tours, La Baule Escoublac, Perros Guirrec, Versailles, Croissy sur seine, Rueil Malmaison.

Thanks to the presence of the rugby teams in each of these towns for almost a month, tourists and participants will be able to enjoy a real Tour de France of local culture!

North & South East Region

Touquet Paris Plage

Let’s start our tour of French culture with the Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie region. Here, some of the teams will be staying at the Le Touquet Paris Plage base. Whether players or tourists, everyone will be able to enjoy the pleasures of this northern seaside resort. For a weekend or a few days, take the time to discover the typical landscapes of the region, walking and relaxing on the famous beach of Le Touquet and its endless sand dunes. Don’t forget to visit the town’s lighthouse and the Baie de Canche nature reserve to discover the marine and terrestrial species that inhabit the area. You can also take a boat trip from the fishing port.

Moving on to the south-east of France, we land in the Lyon region. Whether it’s this metropolis or the surrounding towns, you won’t be disappointed: Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Bourgoin Jallieu and Aix-les-Bains are all open to you. And here’s what you can discover in some of them.

Lyon

If you’re staying in Lyon for a few days, don’t miss the traboules (narrow passageways) in the Pentes and Croix Rousse districts. These are narrow passageways that connect two streets and cross a block of houses. No visit to the capital of Gaul would be complete without a visit to the city centre; the Presqu’Île de Lyon, in the heart of the historic centre, and a cruise along the Saône should be on every tourist’s list. But don’t forget that Lyon is part of France. And France is synonymous with gastronomy. A meal full of Lyon specialities could start with an aperitif of brioche sausage, followed by quenelles, then cervelle de canut and Saint-Marcellin cheese, and finish with a slice of tarte praline, accompanied by a good cup of tea or coffee.

Saint-Etienne

Close to Lyon, the city of Saint-Etienne also offers a wide range of activities and local specialities. A stroll through the town centre will take you back in time as you admire the blend of old architecture and modern design of the new buildings. Many of the city’s history and culture tours are easily accessible throughout the city centre. As for the local cuisine, the people of St Etienne are proud of their bugnes (a type of doughnut), râpées (a grated potato and egg cake served with sausage, roast meat or salad) and fourme de Montbrison (a blue-veined cheese made from cow’s milk). Chocolate is also an important part of the local culture, and you can make your own bar by booking a course in one of the workshops.

The South of France

The South never ceases to seduce tourists and companies on business trips. Between pissaladières, fougasses, calissons, aïoli, tapenades, tian, croquants aux amandes and perfectly ripened fruit, rugby players and tourists alike will be able to fortify themselves for the coming matches!

With Nice, Toulon, Avignon, Montpellier, Perpignan and Toulouse as base cities, here’s what you can experience in just a few of them over the course of a weekend.

Western Region

After the north, south-east and south, the western Cape is home to the towns of Libourne, Lormont, La Rochelle / Île de Ré, La Baule Escoublac, Perros Guirrec. Whether you’re travelling to one of these towns with your company to support your rugby team, or you’re looking for a bit of sports tourism, some of these towns should appeal to you. Here’s a selection.

Perros Guirrec

The last base town on the coast is in Northern Brittany, at Perros Guirrec. This is where you’ll find the impressive pink granite coastline. This seaside town is striking for the beauty of its scenery. Here, you’ll find fields strewn with rocks, also made of pink granite and sculpted by erosion. And in the distance, the 7 islands are accessible via sea excursions.

Paris region

Finally, to round off our tour of France’s World Cup host cities, we come to the Paris region with Tours, Versailles, Croissy sur Seine and Rueil Malmaison.

Less than an hour from the capital and its environs by public transport, it’s easy to reach the main monuments and attractions of the Paris region: the Château de Versailles, the Bois de Boulogne with the Louis Vuitton Foundation and the Bois de Vincennes.

If you want to see most of the sights of Paris in a weekend, without missing a single match, you can get off at the Javel-André Citroën metro station (line 10) and walk along the Seine to the Jardin des Plantes. Along the way, you can admire the Ile aux Cygnes, the Jardins du Trocadéro on one side and the Eiffel Tower on the other. You’ll pass the bateaux-mouches, the Invalides, the Pont Alexandre III and the side of the Champs Elysées while staying on the quays. The ginguettes and terraces on the quayside can be used for a short break. Once you’ve crossed the Pont de la Concorde, you’ll come to the Jardin des Tuileries and the Louvre, before finally arriving at Notre-Dame de Paris. Walk down to the Panthéon and then to the Luxembourg Gardens. In just one day, you’ll have seen the capital’s most important monuments. What’s more, as you stroll along the quays of the Seine, you’re likely to come across antiquarian booksellers selling a few nuggets of French literature, as well as collectors’ magazines and cards.

If you prefer a more cultural visit, the Musée Grévin, the Musée d’Orsay, the Musée de l’Armée, the Musée Rodin and the Centre Pompidou may be of interest.

As rugby celebrates its 200th year, the stage is set for this year’s Rugby World Cup to be a truly special experience for players, fans and spectators alike.