Maiden's Bruce Dickinson flies Liverpool FC to Naples Published duration 20 October 2010

image caption The Iron Maiden star has been flying for 20 years

Heavy metal legend Bruce Dickinson is flying the Liverpool squad to Naples ahead of the club's Europa League clash with Italian side Napoli.

The Iron Maiden frontman, 52, who holds a commercial pilot's licence, will captain the Astraeus Airlines plane from Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

Dickinson, despite admitting he had no allegiance to any football team, said he hoped he would bring the Reds luck.

Liverpool are due to play Napoli at 1800 BST on Thursday.

"I was originally supposed to be going to Iceland and flying down to Las Palmas and Tenerife, but this looked a lot more interesting so I'm flying the team down to Naples."

Dickinson, who joined Iron Maiden in 1981, said he was lucky his day job left him time to perform.

"People ask me, which do you enjoy more and I honestly can't say, but what I can say is that I am never, ever going to give up singing.

"That's been my life and fortunately I'm in a job where I can get the time off to do it.

"In fact, the airline that I work for, Astraeus, we designed an aeroplane for an Iron Maiden tour and flew it round the world, we've done it twice now.

"It's never been done before, bands have had private jets before, but no band until Maiden has even come up with the idea of taking all the equipment, and the road crew and the band on one aircraft.

"It's like the biggest tour bus in the world."

The flight was due to leave Liverpool at 1100 BST.