NBA to play ball with Airbus
September 17, 2024
Corporate Jet Investor has reported that the US National Basketball Association (NBA) is planning to lease its own fleet of 13 Airbus A321neos to facilitate the transport of NBA teams. The NBA’s own data shows that NBA team members spend more time flying than other sports players, and the new lease plan has reportedly been driven by player welfare considerations, with players at risk of injury or poor performance after lengthy flights. It has been said that 54% of injuries in the NBA occur when teams are not playing at home, and that teams flying west tend to lose more often than when flying east.
There are 30 teams in the NBA, each capped at 18 players, but needing to be accompanied by coaching and other support staff and significant quantities of kit. These teams play 82 games between October and April each year, about half of which are away games.
The Detroit Pistons began chartering aircraft for their away games in the 1987 season and other teams soon followed their example. A number of teams already have their own dedicated aircraft including the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and LA Lakers. Some top players have their own private jets – Michael Jordan owns a Gulfstream IV (N236MJ), while Magic Johnson has a Gulfstream III (N32MJ). Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade are both frequent users of Apollo Jets, with O’Neal reportedly favouring the Hawker 800!
Delta covers the majority of current NBA flights, using a fleet of eleven, VIP-configured 72-seat Boeing B757-200s. These have an average age of more than 34 years, and replacement by a newer generation aircraft is probably overdue.
The NBA is reportedly in talks with Irish lessor SMBC for the lease of thirteen A321neos. These would be reconfigured to a VIP configuration by Comlux in Indianapolis (IN), and would probably be operated by Delta Air Lines.
SMBC owns more than 525 aircraft, but also manages a total of 715 aircraft for airlines and charter companies around the world.
The NBA is looking to add two more teams in the future and could add at least one more aircraft to its fleet.
The A321neo already has customisable lighting that can reduce jetlag and operates at a cabin altitude of less than 6000ft when flying at 30,000ft. The NBA aircraft will have lie-flat beds and humidifiers to make travel as comfortable as possible. The average height of an NBA player in the 2023/2024 season was 6 feet 6.74 inches (2 metres) so beds are likely to be non-standard and longer than average.
