As Chinese New Year marks the start of the Year of the Rat, Manchester Airport celebrates its connections with China, with the first direct flights to Shanghai taking off in March.
The airport has a host of celebrations planned to see in The Year of the Rat in style. These include flights to Shanghai to be won, traditional lion dancers and Chinese acrobatics and a performance from the airport choir.
Chinese lanterns will welcome passengers arriving at the airport through its Skylink and the airport will also sponsor the annual Chinese New Year celebration in Manchester’s Chinatown, the UK’s third largest, which is expected to attract upwards of 75,000 people.
Shanghai will be Manchester’s third route to China with Juneyao Air, with Hong Kong launched in 2014 with Cathay Pacific and Beijing with Hainan Airlines in 2016.
183,000 people in Manchester Airport’s catchment already travel to Shanghai, so the introduction of direct flights will provide a boost for Northern businesses, as well as for the North’s student and Chinese population with ties to the region. The North has seen a nine percent rise in the numbers of Chinese students since Manchester’s direct route to Beijing launched three years ago.
Andrew Cowan, CEO of Manchester Airport, said:
Chinese New Year is all about prosperity and new beginnings and that is clearly true for the 183,000 people in our catchment area this new route will benefit. Not only will the enhanced connectivity benefit existing passengers and business going to Shanghai, it will also stimulate new trade and tourism opportunities for everyone. We’ve seen first-hand how a new connection, most notably our service to Beijing, can generate and unlock a range of economic benefits. In just three years our route to Beijing has delivered a 38% increase in Chinese visitors, a 94% increase in average spend per visit and a 41% growth in export values. We are sure the same will come from this service to Shanghai with Juneyao Air.
“Routes like this and the other long-haul ones we’ve announced and launched this year demonstrate the role we play in the North, connecting people and businesses to key global hubs. As the year goes on and our £1bn transformation continues, we will continue to play this role to help everyone in the North continue to prosper.”
Wang Qun, General Manager at Juneyao UK, said:
The route will be a huge advantage to the people in Northern England looking to access Shanghai and vice versa with people in China looking to access what Manchester and the wider North has to offer.
“We are sure the route will be a huge success and look forward to flying one of our state of the art Boeing Dreamliners 787-900 on it. The Year of the Rat is set to be an exciting one for us all at Juneyao Air as we forge stronger ties with Manchester and the North.”
Rhys Whalley, Executive Director, Manchester China Forum said:
This new lunar year will be another significant one for Manchester’s relationship with China. 2020 will see the continued prioritisation of economic growth in the North of England, which will provide major Chinese organisations with significant opportunities for investment. Alongside this, it will herald a new post-Brexit era of opportunities for the UK and Greater Manchester, in accelerating its collaboration with the world’s most dynamic growth economy.
“The Year of the Rat is already looking like a prosperous one. In March, we will welcome the third route to China from Manchester Airport launched in five years. Juneyao Air’s service to Shanghai will enable the North of England to benefit from enhanced connectivity to a leading global financial centre at the cutting edge of technology and innovation; providing Greater Manchester with a chance to further strengthen its position as the UK’s largest commercial and tech hub outside of London.”