David goes twice around the World since July!
Friday, January 2, 2004

David Beckham has taken 57 flights in the five months since he moved to Spain.

Soaraway Becks, 28, has spent 145 hours in the air and covered 53,488 miles - the equivalent of more than six days in the skies and two trips around the world.

The Real Madrid ace has boarded a jet every three days on average, flying to and from the UK and fulfilling football and sponsorship commitments.

The cost of luxury air travel on Becks' flights over the past 26 weeks - £193,610 - would sent most people's bank balances into a nose dive.

But high-flyer Becks and wife Victoria enjoy the privilege of their own fleet of private jets supplied by the firm Bookajet, which is based at Farnborough, Hants.

After a phone call from the midfield star, the company guarantees a plane will be ready at any airport of his choice within 24 hours. At £6,000 a flight between London and Madrid, the firm charters private Hawker 125 luxury jets, including limousine transfers for up to 10 passengers.

But Becks doesn't have to fork out the full fare for every flight. He has a special deal with Bookajet and Real Madrid flies him around Spain and across Europe for away games.

It's a similar story when the former Manchester United star reports for England duty as the Football Association pays the bill.

One thing is guaranteed - superstar Becks always travels in style at the front of the plane. He was unveiled to the world as a £25million Real Madrid player on July 1 after flying in to the Spanish capital in a blaze of publicity. He found time to jet away for a few days holiday in the South of France before joining up with his new team-mates for a pre-season tour of the Far East, clocking up six flights in less than three weeks.

Since then Becks, who earns £100,000 a week by Real Madrid and an extra £10million a year in sponsorship deals, has flown almost non-stop around Europe with Real, the England team and his family.

Pop star Victoria, sons Brooklyn, four, and one-year-old Romeo are well used to boarding aircraft too, but they can't compete with David's jet-setting lifestyle.

In December, hectic Becks fitted a trip to Basle in Switzerland among his Real Madrid and England commitments.

He agreed to take part in a charity match to raise cash for Unicef.

And in the run-up to Christmas he also found time to treat his family to a magical excursion to Lapland, where Brooklyn and Romeo met Father Christmas.

Becks hired a massive Airbus A319 from firm Twinjet and they travelled in true style.

A friend of the Beckhams said: "It's a good job David does not suffer from a fear of flying - he's never far from his next flight.

"It's a requirement of his job as a player for one of the biggest clubs in Europe.

"But you won't hear him complaining. He has the money to travel in luxury and isn't afraid to splash out.

"In fact, there is only one thing to concern David about his hectic flight tally - the danger of suffering Deep Vein Thrombosis.

"But that won't keep him awake at night."

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