Manchester Airport’s shortest trans-Atlantic flights will launch later this year, connecting the hub with Halifax, on the East coast of Canada.
Direct flights to Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada, will start in June with WestJet, and start operating from Manchester for the first time. The service will cross the Atlantic in little over six hours, and return in five.
Halifax is the capital of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and is a major economic centre with both government and private sector companies based in the city. Halifax’s tourism industry showcases Nova Scotia’s culture, scenery and coastline.
As well as serving Halifax the route will also open 75 onward flights across Canada from Manchester Airport, including St John’s, Sydney, Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton. Manchester already has routes to Canada’s largest cities, Toronto and Vancouver, with flights offered by other airlines.
Andrew Cowan, CEO of Manchester Airport, said:
“This will be the fifth long haul route to launch at Manchester Airport in 2020, underlining the role we play in giving people and businesses across the North direct access to key tourist destinations and economic hubs.
“North America is a hugely popular market for the 22m people living and working in our catchment area and I am sure this service to Halifax will be welcomed by leisure and business passengers alike.
“We look forward to welcoming WestJet to Manchester Airport and supporting their growth here in the years ahead. It is an exciting time to start flying from Manchester, with our £1bn investment underway and customers set to enjoy the benefits of our new state-of-the-art facilities later this year.”
Charles Duncan, WestJet Chief Strategy Officer, said:
“WestJet is continuing to invest in our Atlantic gateway, and is now connecting Nova Scotia to Manchester, the global gateway to northern England,” said Charles Duncan, WestJet Chief Strategy Officer.
“This new route connects the U.K, Nova Scotia’s largest in-bound tourism market, to new sources of tourists and will forge additional and stronger economic, business and leisure ties between Halifax and Manchester.”
The route starts on 5th June for the summer season and will use a 737-700, which has two cabins – economy and premium economy, with flights 4 days a week from Manchester Airport to Canada’s East coast.