Chinese carrier Juneyao Air has confirmed Manchester Airport (MAN) as its first destination in the United Kingdom (UK).
The new route will see flights take off between the UK’s third biggest city and Shanghai from July 1, 2024, in a first for an airport outside London.
Flights will run three times a week on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft with business and economy classes.
The new route is seen as a major boost for the region that will help to deliver economic growth and will serve more than 13,500 Chinese residents who live in Manchester and hundreds of thousands of students from China living within a two-hour drive of MAN.
A further 8,000 Chinese people live in Liverpool, 7,000 in Sheffield and 6,000 in Leeds.
Shanghai is China’s biggest city and its financial hub, with around 185,000 people from across the north of England already travelling there indirectly each year.
The Shanghai-Manchester route was first announced in 2019 and was due to launch in March 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am delighted to see that with the joint efforts of all parties, the Shanghai-Manchester route will resume this July, becoming the first direct scheduled passenger route between Shanghai and Manchester. On behalf of Juneyao Air, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all partners and passengers for their support over the years,” said Juneyao Air Chairman, Wang Junjin.
He added: “I also hope this route will bring more business opportunities and flexible travel options to all passengers, and promote economic exchanges between Shanghai and Manchester, as well as between China and the UK.”
When a route from Manchester to Beijing was first launched in 2016 export values from Manchester Airport to China grew 41% and enquiries about investment in the area from China doubled in the two years that followed.
“We are proud to connect the North to the world, whether that’s for tourism, leisure or to help family and friends visit each other. The fact that Juneyao Air has chosen Manchester as its first UK service is a huge boost to the region for so many reasons. It will allow people to travel and see one of the world’s most incredible cities, open up opportunities for business and trade with China’s financial hub and help the North’s Chinese community connect with their family and friends,” Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe said.
The new route to Shanghai will complement the existing service from Manchester to Beijing with Hainan Airways.
In Europe Juneyao Air currently flies directly to Finland, Greece, and Italy.
