Two major carriers are set to grow their services to the northwest hub this October, including extra frequencies and a new routing.
Emirates is set to restore its pre-pandemic schedule at Manchester after confirming plans to launch a third daily service.
Responding to “sustained demand”, the carrier will complement its existing double-daily Airbus A380 connection with an extra rotation from its Dubai hub from October 1. This will operate initially with a Boeing 777-300ER before being upgauged to an A380 from October 30.
Richard Jewsbury, divisional vice president of Emirates UK, remarked: “As more international destinations have relaxed travel restrictions and opened up, demand has continued to rise, and we’re delighted to offer better connectivity to our customers with this schedule. Manchester is a vital hub for us in the UK and our operations from the airport connect both passengers and businesses in the North West with our ever-growing global network.”
Manchester Airport’s managing director Chris Woodroofe added: “It is excellent to see Emirates reinstate its third daily frequency here at Manchester Airport. It’s a clear indication of the demand to fly from here to Dubai and beyond, and of the role we play in connecting the North to key global destinations.
“I am sure the additional flight will be hugely popular with the 22m people in our catchment area, and myself and the team look forward to working with Emirates as they continue to grow from Manchester Airport.”
Emirates expansion at Manchester is part of a wider growth of its network elsewhere in the UK, which included the resumption of flights to London/Stansted in August. By October, the UAE carrier will be offering 110 weekly flights to seven airports across the country, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Glasgow.
This follows news Ethiopian Airlines will also increase the frequency of its Addis Ababa connections from three- to four-times weekly from October 30. The one-stop service, which will be operated by Boeing 787 Dreamliners on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, will also switch intermediate stop from Brussels to Geneva after the African carrier secured traffic rights between the UK and Switzerland.
Commenting on the new service, Ethiopian’s country manager UK, Michael Yohannes said: “We are excited to announce this new route development. While this new service will provide business and leisure travellers, including the traditional Winter Ski market, based in the region a convenient schedule it also underlines our commitment to provide further connectivity options into the African continent.”
