Inter Milan fans scramble to book Champions League flights to Istanbul, sending prices from Europe through the roof… while Man City fans are forced to wait until tonight to secure their place
- Inter Milan reached the Champions League final after defeating rivals AC Milan
- Their fans have rushed to book flights from Milan to Istanbul for the event
- However, prices have risen dramatically, while there are limited flights available
Inter Milan fans have rushed to book flights to Istanbul for the Champions League final after their victory over AC Milan last night, pushing the prices up to staggering amounts.
The Nerazzurri reached the showpiece event courtesy of a 3-0 aggregate win over bitter rivals AC Milan, with Simone Inzaghi’s side easing through the second leg on Tuesday courtesy of a 1-0 victory.
They will face either City or Madrid in the final at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul on June 10, with that tie finely poised at 1-1 after the first leg at the Bernabeu last week.
The stadium – which hosted the 2005 final when Liverpool famously beat AC Milan on penalties after a spectacular comeback – has a capacity of 74,752, with 20,000 tickets available for supporters of both teams, while the rest are reserved for neutral fans and hospitality areas.
These are priced at four different categories which are €70 (£61), €180 (£157), €490 (£427) and €690 (£601).
Inter Milan fans have rushed to book their flights to Istanbul for the Champions League final
The showpiece event will be held at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium which holds 74,753 people
Flights from Milan to Istanbul with Turkish Airlines on the day before the final, before returning the day after cost €1,271 (£1,108)
However, along with this outlay, those who plan to fly there will have to fork out a huge amount of money, with prices rising on the Milan to Istanbul route after Inter secured their place in the final.
On the official websites of Turkish Airlines and Pegasus Airlines, the cost of direct flights have soared in recent days and particularly the last few hours as availability runs out.
The cheapest return flights are now at least €1,000 (£872) and supporters are hard-pressed to find any journeys for less than that – even if they flew there and back within 24 hours.
However, in the next few days Inter are likely to inform their supporters of how they plan to sell the 20,000 tickets they will receive, along with potential packages for the final.
These packages are likely to include bus or plane travel and therefore could reduce the prices.
Inter fans will be desperate to see their team in action in what is their first Champions League final since 2010 when Jose Mourinho’s side beat Bayern Munich 2-0 to win their third European Cup.
Meanwhile, City and Real fans will be forced to wait until tonight to secure their place in the final, although some supporters may have already taken a risk and booked their flights to Turkey’s largest city.
Inzaghi’s side are likely to be major underdogs against City or Real with Pep Guardiola’s outfit arguably the most in-form team on the continent, while Los Blancos have won five of the past nine Champions League titles.
Inter secured their place in the final courtesy of a 3-0 aggregate win over bitter rivals AC Milan
The Ataturk Olympic stadium also hosted Liverpool’s comeback against Milan in the 2005 final
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