Edward Rom, Founder and Managing Director of EFR Travel, told TTG he signed the contract for the 189-seat Boeing 737-800 charter as soon as the final whistle was blown in Arsenal's 1-0 second semi-final win over Atletico Madrid earlier this month.
The victory at Arsenal's Emirates stadium secured the Gunners a 2-1 win on aggregate, setting up a final against Paris Saint-Germain next Saturday (30 May) in Budapest. Rom and a colleague will join the group of Arsenal supporters on the flight to Hungary as the club looks to win the Champions League for the first time in its history.
The Bushey-based agency has previously chartered aircraft to fly supporters out to three other Champions League finals – Arsenal-Barcelona in 2006; Liverpool-AC Milan in 2007; and Chelsea-Manchester United in 2008.
Looking ahead to the final, Rom said: "There's a lot of buoyancy in the market. People want to be part of something special. I think Arsenal have a very good chance of winning. The breaks are off. We've got a week to prepare. Let's go and get it."
Rom, who has supported the Premier League club for more than 50 years, revealed David Ox, owner of luxury travel agency Winged Boots, has secured four seats for his clients on EFR Travel's charter, and is hopeful he will take a few more.
Rom is charging Arsenal fans £1,095 a seat to join the charter flight, which standards to generate £200,000 in revenue and £120,000 in profit for the agency. He will fly out to the Hungarian capital on Sunday to carry out "a recce" ahead of the final.
"On arrival, we've got coaches that will take fans into the city, then onto the stadium and back to the airport," he said, adding: "We're in a good place with the charter. We've got past the broken even threshold. We've still got a few seats left. It's been a good deal for us. It's been draining, but hugely enjoyable."
Despite attending his first Arsenal match at the age of seven, Rom – who turns 63 on Friday (22 May) – said he didn't watch the Bournemouth-Manchester City Premier League match on Tuesday (19 May) because he attended an International Association of Golf Tour Operators event.
The game, which ended in a draw, meant Arsenal secured their first English Premier League title since the 2003/04 season. "I was actually working when we won the league. I was at an IAGTO Travel show!," he said.
