British & Irish Lions soar to Australia on special QA flight ahead of 2025 tour
Tribune News Network
Dublin
The British & Irish Lions squad departed Dublin on Saturday 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.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Qatar Tribune
5 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Qatar prevail over gritty Vietnam to move into AVC Men's Nations Cup semis
Tribune News Network Doha Qatar overcame a resilient Vietnam 3-2 to move into the semi-finals of the AVC Men's Volleyball Nations Cup in Manama, Bahrain, on Saturday. Defending champions Qatar lost the opening set 29-31, before bouncing back in the next two to win with 25-21, 25-15 wins. Vietnam however hit back and levelled the match 2-2 by winning the fourth set 25-22 fourth set. The top-sseded Qatar however held on in the thrilling decider to claim the set 15-12 and with it the match. Qatar will now meet Pakistan in the semi-final to be played on Monday. It would bea rematch of last year's final, where Qatar emerged victorious to clinch the title. Meanwhile, Pakistan, who also topped their group, continued their impressive form by defeating Indonesia 3-1 in their last eight tie. After going down 20-25 in the opening set, Pakistan hit back strongly by winning the next three sets 25-21, 25-20 and 25-17. On the other side, hosts Bahrain also advanced and will meet South Korea in the other semi-final on Monday. Bahrain swept Chinese Taipei 3-0, while South Korea beat Australia 3-1. The final is scheduled for Tuesday.
Qatar Tribune
5 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Draper's Queen's hopes dashed by big-serving Lehecka
PA Media/DPA London Jack Draper failed in his bid to be crowned the new British king of Queen's Club after a three-set defeat by Jiri Lehecka in the semi-final on Saturday. Lehecka became the first Czech finalist since Ivan Lendl 35 years ago after a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 victory. It was a tough loss for Draper on home soil with the British number one angrily smashing his racket and damaging a digital advertising hoarding as the match slipped away. But it has been a successful week for the 23-year-old, with his run to the last four earning him a top-four seeding at Wimbledon. The Czech will meet Carlos Alcaraz or fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in Sunday's final. 'It means a lot,' said Lehecka. 'You don't meet a player like Jack every day, he's an amazing competitor.' One poor service game at the start, punctuated by two aces and a double fault on break point, ultimately cost Draper the first set. He did not get a sniff on the Lehecka serve, with his fellow 23-year-old regularly sending down aces approaching 140mph. In the second Draper began making inroads, a stunning flicked backhand cross-court winner helping bring up his first break points. But Lehecka repelled all four to hold for 2-2, with Draper beginning to cut a frustrated figure on the baseline. With singer Jon Bon Jovi watching from the posh seats, the tension was briefly lifted with a blast of his biggest hit 'Livin' on a Prayer' at the change over. Draper re-emerged in a blaze of glory, an ace sealing a hold to love before a winner down the line levelled the match. Lehecka forced a break point at 4-4 but netted after a long, tense exchange and Draper survived. However, Lehecka was looking the stronger and, after a comfortable hold, snatched the break for 6-5 with a stunning backhand winner. Draper smashed his racket in anger, earning a code violation, before Lehecka finished the job to win in two hours and seven minutes, ensuring Britain's wait for a first Queen's winner since Andy Murray in 2016 goes on. While Draper will be disappointed not to have reached the final - something he had dreamed of as a child - he can be encouraged by his overall performance as Wimbledon approaches. His run to the last four ensures he not only goes there in good confidence but as one of the top four seeds, ensuring he would avoid defending champion Alcaraz or world number one Jannik Sinner until at least the semi-finals. 'I don't condone that behaviour, but at the same time, that's kind of where I was at today,' Draper said of his racquet-smashing. 'I was trying to use everything I could. I tried to compete [for] every ball. But in the end, anger just spilled over a little bit too much.'
Qatar Tribune
5 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Qatar underscores global economic role at SPIEF
Tribune News Network Doha Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs HE Dr Ahmed bin Mohamed Al Sayed headed the delegation of Qatar at 28th St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), held in Russia on 18-21 June 2025 – bringing together heads of government, senior officials, private sector leaders and experts from worldwide. Qatar's participation highlights its leading economic position on regional and international levels and aims to underscore the attractive investment environment available for foreign investment. The delegation shed the light on the key investment incentives, advantages, and initiatives steered to support the private sector and enhance the competitiveness and diversification of national economy under Qatar National Vision 2030. The minister of state took part in the forum's plenary session attended by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin alongside prominent political and economic figures and global decision-makers. He also participated in a high-level panel discussion entitled 'In Search of New Growth Drivers: Redesigning the Global Financial and Trade Framework,' alongside senior officials including Deputy Prime Minister of Russian Federation Alexey Overchuk, Deputy Prime Minister of Lao People's Democratic Republic Saleumxay Kommasith, Minister of Finance of Russian Federation Anton Siluanov, Chairman and CEO of VTB Bank Andrey Kostin, Chairman and President of the African Export-Import Bank Benedict Okey Oramah, Founder of RUSAL, GAZ Group, and the Volnoe Delo Foundation Oleg Deripaska and Yaroslav Kuzminov, and Yaroslav Kuzminov, Academic Supervisor at the Higher School of Economics (National Research University). The minister of state delivered remarks highlighting Qatar's pivotal role in promoting innovation and scientific research as a cornerstone of sustainable economic growth. He underscored the importance of Qatar's research, development, and innovation strategy 2030, which seeks to catalyse institutional transformation and advance key national priorities, such as food security, healthcare, energy, technology and logistics. He emphasised that Qatar fosters an ecosystem in which the public and private sectors are encouraged to adopt advanced technological solutions that enhance efficiency, strengthen competitiveness, and drive entrepreneurship—particularly within prioritysectors. He also underscored the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as a successful model of regional integration, highlighting its harmonised economic systems and policies, and shared infrastructure and services. He noted that the GCC continues to make steady progress towards full economic integration, further strengthening its position as a prominent global financial and investment hub. He stated that GCC's aggregate GDP reached approximately $2.2 trillion, ranking it ninth globally, while its capital markets hold the seventh position worldwide by market capitalisation, accounting for 4.3 percent of global markets. The non-oil sector contributed 75.9 percent of the region's GDP in 2024. Al Sayed also highlighted Qatar's success in advancing a digital economy, underpinned by its robust infrastructure and adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies. He noted that this enables Qatar to keep pace with global transformations and position itself as a leader in the knowledge economy. On the sidelines of the forum, he held bilateral talks with Maxim Markovich, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, and Andrey Kostin, chairman and CEO of VTB Bank. The meetings explored prospects for cooperation in various fields and the incentives, legislation overhaul, and promising opportunities Qatar offers to encourage foreign investment. He also toured the forum's accompanying exhibition, including the pavilion of the Kingdom of Bahrain, this year's guest of Honour, and several other exhibitors. He was briefed on the latest services and innovations in sectors such as industry, financial services and insurance, information technology, healthcare, education and science, business consultancy, telecommunications, logistics and transport, real estate, hospitality and tourism, and metals and mining. The official delegation representing Qatar at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum included representatives from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Qatar Investment Authority, Investment Promotion Agency (Invest Qatar), and Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
