In light of the ongoing conflict resulting from Russia's recent invasion of Ukraine, Manchester United has terminated its relationship with Aeroflot. The Russian flag carrier had been a key sponsor for the club, acting as its 'official airline' since 2013. This follows a ban on Aeroflot flights in the UK, which came into effect last week.
Cut short
According to the BBC, Manchester United's relationship with Aeroflot began nine years ago, in 2013. It is one of several major English football clubs to have such partnerships, with neighbors Manchester City's deal with Etihad being one such example. Arsenal FC also has a long-standing relationship with Emirates.
Eurosport notes that, following the initial deal, Manchester United renewed the partnership in 2017. The terminated agreement, which was set to run until 2023, is reported by various sources as being worth around £30 ($40.17 million).
According to the Mirror, the club has already begun removing Aeroflot branding from its premises. This has included painting over an Aeroflot logo which previously dominated the car park at its Old Trafford stadium. United's website states:
"In light of events in Ukraine, we have withdrawn Aeroflot’s sponsorship rights. We share the concerns of our fans around the world and extend our sympathies to those affected."
A change of travel plans... and livery?
As it happened, Manchester United played away from home last week as the current crisis began to unfold. The team was yet to formally announce the termination of its deal with Aeroflot when it played out a 1-1 draw against Atlético Madrid on Wednesday evening. Nonetheless, it didn't fly to or from Madrid with the Russian flag carrier, as might normally have been the case for a European away game.
Indeed, as Simple Flying explored in the wake of Aeroflot's ban from using UK airspace, Titan Airways stepped in to fill this role instead. A quick look at data from FlightRadar24.com suggests that the aircraft used in this instance was G-ZAPX, a 21-year-old Boeing 757. It flew out on February 22nd, returning two days later.
The termination of Manchester United's deal with Aeroflot may well also have implications in terms of the livery that one of its aircraft wears. Indeed, as the Russian flag carrier is no longer the 'official carrier of Manchester United,' it will likely have to remove this branding from an Airbus A321 registered as VP-BTL. Simple Flying has reached out to Aeroflot for further information on this matter.
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Following suit
Away from aviation, Manchester United is not the only major football club to have terminated a partnership with a Russian company. Indeed, German side Schalke 04 has also opted to prematurely end its deal with Saint Petersburg-based energy giant Gazprom in light of recent events. Of course, such matters pale into insignificance compared with the potential human cost of such a conflict.
What do you make of the club's termination of its deal with Aeroflot? Have you ever seen or flown on the Russian carrier's Manchester United-themed A321? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments.