Warriors v Panthers: Webby and the Jets - Inside the Warriors’ private plane

Cameron George gives a view of the cabin, along with Stacey Jones, captain Tohu Harris and Mitch Barnett. Photo / Instagram @cjgeorge1976

The private jet used by the Warriors to fly to Sydney for their NRL qualifying final against the Penrith Panthers on Saturday night is the same type of aircraft preferred by US rapper Travis Scott.

As first reported by the NZ Herald, the Warriors have spared no expense to ensure their travel to Sydney is seamless, chartering a private air service. It’s a move that is almost unprecedented in club history, though there were some similar arrangements made in 2002 when the club reached the grand final for the first time.

Rapper Travis Scott posed with Kylie Jenner in front of their planes with the caption: "You wanna take mine or yours?" The E190-100 is on the left. Photo / Instagram @kyliejenner

Chief executive Cameron George has given fans an insight into the travel arrangements via Instagram.

The travel comes at considerable expense - at least four times the cost of using a commercial flight - but George is adamant the cost is justified. It’s also a sign of the lengths the club is prepared to go to ensure an optimal preparation.

The Warriors have chartered an Embraer E190-100. Photo / Instagram @cjgeorge1976

Boarding a plane of this nature is not done in the conventional manner. Swissport Executive Aviation provides airport ground services at Auckland Airport and has a Fixed Base Operator which is authorised to offer services for business jets and wide-body aircraft. In this case, we’re talking business jets.

The jet in question is an Embraer E190 from Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica. With a length of 32.6 metres and wing span of 28.7m, this is not a small plane by any standards. An average cruise speed of 829km/h should have the team touching down in Sydney in just over two and a half hours.

Exclusive boarding is one of the advantages of flying private. Photo / Instagram @cjgeorge1976

The ease of embarking and disembarking will shave considerable time at either end, meaning the Warriors’ preparation is hampered as little as possible.

Auckland-Sydney is a 2,155km journey and the Embraer’s range on one tank comes in at 4,537km, meaning they could in theory do the round trip on one tank.

Rugby league sides are generally full of large bodies - the Warriors are no different. A plane carrying the likes of Addin Fonua-Blake, Tohu Harris and Mitch Barnett ought to have capacity for a serious payload. The Embraer does. Its capacity sits at a hefty 13,063kg, which should be plenty to carry the precious players, coaches and cargo across the Tasman.