Manchester, the 3rd largest city in United Kingdom will have a direct flight from India. Jet Airways on Friday announced to start a direct flight from Mumbai to Manchester beginning 05th November 2018.
This new service will be the first nonstop service connecting India. Jet Airways will deploy its wide body A330-200 with 254 seating for the service, which will operate for four days every week including Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
“Manchester will become the 21st international addition to the Jet Airways network and with the introduction of this new flight – the carrier’s 5th non-stop service to/from the UK, Jet Airways will also become the largest carrier between Mumbai and the UK,” Jet Airways said in a statement.
Vinay Dube, Chief Executive Officer, Jet Airways said, “The new service will bring Manchester into our global network, reinforcing our footprint as well as expanding the choice of connectivity to/from the United Kingdom for our guests with the 4 day/week, non-stop service.”
“With the new flight, Jet Airways will have over 8,000 seats on offer every week, making it increasingly convenient for both business as well as leisure travelers, travelling between India and the UK, deepening commerce as well as tourism ties between the two countries,” he added.
Manchester Airport was lobbying with Indian carriers to mount direct flights since several months.
Manchester lies at the heart of the UK’s North and the area is home to leading companies from a range of industries including Aerospace, Automotive, Chemical, Financial, IT, Media, Pharmaceutical and Retail.
The new service between Mumbai and Manchester is expected to benefit business travelers, as also for a significant diaspora of people, including a growing Indian community residing in and around Manchester.
The city has one of the largest student communities in Europe and is well connected to other major cities such as Liverpool, Leeds and Sheffield.
Manchester Airport CEO Andrew Cowan, who said: “Securing a direct service to one of India’s major cities is the product of a lot of hard work over a long period of time to forge closer ties between Manchester and this globally significant economy.”
“We have worked, along with a range of partners, to create a compelling case for why our city – and the wider North – is a great place to visit, invest in and do business with. I am delighted Jet Airways have recognised this by launching what I’m sure will be a hugely popular service, not least for the 500,000 people of Indian origin living across the North,” he added.
The new flight will enhance Jet Airways’ cargo capacity by 15 tons from India to UK and open a 2nd destination in the UK to shippers and exporters and manufacturers from India.
With this, Jet Airways’ daily cargo capacity between Mumbai and Delhi to the UK will be 115 tons in each direction.
