easyJet to launch Manchester Airport flights
18.12.07
easyJet is start flying from Manchester Airport and is deploying more aircraft from its base at Liverpool Airport as part of an expansion from the North West. The airline claims the move will make it the biggest carrier operating in the region, carrying over 4 million passengers a year on around 40 routes in three years time, including about 1.4 million from Manchester.
The move to Manchester Airport follows the takeover of GB Airways, which has two aircraft based at the hub. GB operates six routes from Manchester including Tenerife, Cyprus, Malta and Crete. It currently employs 79 staff at the airport and carries 290,000 passengers a year.
easyJet people director Mike Campbell, said: 'We recognise the strong demand for low-cost convenient services from the North West, the GB operation at Manchester provides us with a great base on which we can build and tap in to a new market.'
'By launching additional operations from Manchester, we can make it even easier for everyone in the North West to have access to easyJet services from their local airport, giving consumers the opportunity to explore Europe for less.'
The announcement marks a 'massive coup' for Manchester Airport, the Manchester Evening news reports. Rowena Burns, commercial director of the Manchester Airports Group, told the newspaper: 'We have been talking to easyJet for two years, and they have been keen to start services for a while.'
'They offer a fantastic range of services for passengers and they have always been impressed by the quality of our operation. Manchester Airport is the jewel in the crown of the North West's economy and this announcement reinforces our position as the premier airport outside London.'
Planes carrying the airline's famous orange and white logo are set to lift off for foreign destinations from the airport for the first time late March, after GB's franchise agreement with BA ends. easyJet is also increasing its aircraft at Liverpool John Lennon airport from eight to 10.
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