Transavia Airlines announced a tribute to Funchal-born Cristiano Ronaldo, stating that seat 7C would no longer be available on flights to Madeira. The initiative came after the footballer announced his retirement from the national team. However, the airline clarified that the gesture was purely symbolic and that passengers would still be able to book the seat, Postal reports.

A symbolic tribute to CR7

The low-cost airline shared a photograph on social media showing a Cristiano Ronaldo jersey placed on seat 7C of an aircraft. The seat number refers to the number seven, which Ronaldo wore throughout much of his career and which inspired his nickname, CR7.

In a post on Instagram, Transavia wrote: “CR7 hangs up his boots, and our 7C seats are also being removed from flights to Funchal.” The announcement sparked curiosity on social media, prompting several passengers to question whether the measure would actually take effect.

According to a fact-check published by the Diário de Notícias da Madeira on 7 November, the airline did not remove the seats from sale. The newspaper tested bookings on six flights and found that seat 7C was available for selection on five of them. On the sixth flight, all three seats on that side of the row had already been reserved.

Contacted by the publication, Transavia France confirmed that the initiative was part of a one-off marketing campaign intended to mark Cristiano Ronaldo’s farewell from the national team and to highlight Madeira, an important destination in the carrier’s network.

The airline confirmed that seat 7C would neither be removed from its aircraft nor withdrawn from sale and would remain available for booking. The symbolic tribute therefore does not affect aircraft configurations or passengers’ ability to select their seats.

Ronaldo’s International Retirement

The initiative followed Cristiano Ronaldo’s announcement on Thursday, 5 November, that he was retiring from the Portuguese national team after a 23-year international career. The 41-year-old footballer ended his international career with 234 appearances and 146 goals, holding the men’s world records for both international caps and goals.

Despite his international retirement, Ronaldo continues to play for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia as he pursues his ambition of reaching 1,000 career goals.

Airlines react to Ronaldo’s farewell

Transavia was not the only airline to react to the announcement. TAP published a message of thanks to the footballer, highlighting Cristiano Ronaldo’s contribution to Portugal’s international profile and the player’s connection to the country.

The Portugal News reported on 6 November that Ryanair chose a different farewell approach. The Irish company responded with the word “Finally” to a post by journalist Fabrizio Romano in an ironic reaction that prompted comments on social media.

Ryanair has previously poked fun at Cristiano Ronaldo, including when the footballer spent 90 minutes on the bench during Portugal’s Nations League match against Norway. At the time, the airline joked on social media: “If Ronaldo can sit in a chair for 90 minutes, so can you.”

Earlier, in May, the airline also responded to a post in which Ronaldo celebrated his first Saudi league title with Al Nassr. The Portuguese footballer had shared a photograph featuring several images of himself alongside the caption “Champions”. Ryanair replied with the question: “Doesn’t he have any teammates?”

Set The Portugal News as your preferred source for news on Google

GoogleAdd as a preferred source on Google