MANCHESTER Airport is celebrating Chinese New Year as it heralds ever closer links to China.
The Year of the Rat is set to be a significant one for the UK’s third large airport, Manchester, as flights to Shanghai begin in March with leading Chinese carrier, Juneyao Air.
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 per cent increase in Chinese visitors, a 94 per cent increase in average spend per visit and a 41 per cent 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 £1 billion transformation continues, we will continue to play this role to help everyone in the north continue to prosper.”
To celebrate the Chinese New Year and to thank all its passengers 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/Chinese acrobatics, a performance from the airport choir, and Instagram-worthy traditional Chinese retail carts for passengers to get that pre-flight selfie.
Chinese lanterns welcome passengers arriving at the airport through its Skylink and the airport will also sponsor the annual Chinese New Year celebration in Chinatown, which is expected to attract upwards of 75,000 people.
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