Airport bosses look to the East
Exclusive by Kevin Feddy
BOSSES at booming Manchester Airport are in talks to secure scheduled flights to China, Hong Kong, Thailand and India.
Aviation development director Tim McDermott today unveiled details of Manchester's blueprint for long-haul expansion over the next couple of years, with the Far East identified as its top priority. South Africa and the west coast of the United States also figure highly but may take longer to come to fruition.
News of the plans will delight many travellers, who presently have to connect via other gateways such as Heathrow, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and farther afield.
Mr McDermott said he hopes Cathay Pacific will soon re-introduce services to Hong Kong, which were scrapped in 2001.
Airport chiefs are also speaking to Thai Airways about flights to Bangkok. Around 100,000 passengers currently fly there from Manchester each year, mainly via Europe, Dubai in the UAE and Doha in Qatar.
Thai Airways has indicated it may start flights in 2008 but Manchester Airport hopes it will do so earlier. Initially, services may go via a European city but become direct soon afterwards.
Negotiations have begun with Air China about flights to Beijing, with a view to then extending services to Shanghai. About 35,000 people currently travel to Beijing from Manchester a year via other gateways.
Air India operated services to Delhi and Bombay for a period, while Singapore Airlines jets used to stop in Bombay on their way to and from Manchester.
Now, following an open skies agreement between the British and Indian governments, the number of flights is set to increase and Manchester is aiming to grab a slice of the market.
Air India, Air Sahara and Jet Airways are being targeted. Mr McDermott said: "Direct flights are much more convenient for travellers and we are making a real push for more services to the Far East."
In the longer term, ANA is being courted to start services to Tokyo and Osaka while airport bosses are keen to attract direct routes to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Johannesburg.
A record 21.3 million passengers used Manchester Airport in the 12 months to March 31, with 22.7 million expected this financial year.
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