Emirates celebrates 25 years flying to Manchester
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Gulf airline Emirates this week celebrates its 25th anniversary flying to Manchester Airport.
In the last 25 years, the airline revealed it has carried more than eight million passengers between Dubai and Manchester, with 3.6 million travelling in the last five years.
Almost 800,000 people have travelled with Emirates through Manchester Airport in the last year alone, which is equal to nearly a third of the Greater Manchester population.
Emirates launched its route to Manchester Airport on 2 November 1990 as a twice-weekly service to Dubai. As passenger numbers have risen, Emirates has added more aircraft to the route and today offers three daily flights between Dubai and Manchester, two of which are operated by the A380 and the third by a Boeing 777. Emirates is the only carrier to fly an A380 from Manchester, having first introduced the superjumbo to the airport in 2010.
Emirates’ wider contribution to the North West economy has grown alongside its expansion at Manchester Airport. It now employs 30 permanent staff at the airport, while its European customer contact centre, which is based in Manchester, employs more than 350 people. Over six million meals have been made locally in Manchester to serve Emirates passengers travelling to Dubai and 70 crew members stay in Manchester every night between flights at local hotels. The airline also invested £1.5 million in the Emirates Lounge, which opened at Manchester Airport in October 2009.
Laurie Berryman, Emirates vice president, UK, said: “In 25 years of operating at Manchester Emirates has experienced unprecedented levels of growth. When we first launched, we employed just six members of staff working across the sales and check in teams. Now, we employ almost 400 people in Manchester and carry almost 9,000 passengers from Manchester to Dubai each week. Our success in the region is a testament to the growth of both Manchester and Dubai as popular global business and leisure destinations.
“At Emirates, we are committed to increasing our contribution to Manchester and the wider North West region. Emirates is the only airline to use the A380 outside of London, which brings its own set of economic benefits, allowing us to transport even more passengers to and from the region. As we move in to 2016, we look forward to what we hope will be another successful 25 years in the North West.”
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