Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, recently commenced its new non-stop service between Mumbai and Manchester, further expanding the airline’s connectivity in the United Kingdom (UK). This new service is the first non-stop service connecting India, via its economic capital with Manchester, the 3rd largest city in the UK. With the launch of its 5th non-stop service to/from the UK, Jet Airways is now the largest carrier between Mumbai and the UK and Manchester.
Ahead of the launch of its inaugural service from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Jet Airways conducted a multi-faith prayer followed by ceremonial lamp lighting ceremony to mark the occasion of its inaugural flight. This inaugural function was led by Raj Sivakumar, Senior Vice-President, Worldwide Sales and Distribution, Jet Airways; Tom Mottershead, Deputy Director for Trade and Innovation, British Deputy High Commission and dignitaries and invitees from airport. This was followed by a ceremonial ribbon-cutting and handing over of the boarding passes to guests by senior Jet Airways officials to mark the flight’s launch.
The airline’s first flight to Manchester departed on schedule from Mumbai at 0230 hours. The flight will arrive at Manchester’s Terminal 2 at 0755 hrs (Local time). The return flight will depart from Manchester at 0935 hrs (Local time) and is scheduled to arrive at Mumbai’s Terminal 2 at 0040 hrs.
Raj Sivakumar, Senior Vice-President, Worldwide Sales and Distribution, Jet Airways, said, "The launch of maiden flight between Mumbai and Manchester is a proud moment for us. Guests travelling to the United Kingdom will now have multiple options to travel to destinations of their choice. Our new 5 days-a-week non-stop service brings Manchester into our global network, expanding our footprint as well as the choice of connectivity to and from the United Kingdom for our guests. The new service will enable Jet Airways to offer over 8,500 seats every week, making it increasingly convenient for business guests, leisure travelers as well as students, to travel between India and the UK, strengthening commerce as well as tourism ties between the two countries."
Mr SivaKumar further said, "Manchester also becomes an additional gateway to North America with seamless connectivity to New York, Atlanta and other destinations with our code share partners Virgin Atlantic and Delta. Also our Mancehster-based guests can seamlessly connect on Jet Airways’ flights to Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok and Colombo."
The new flight assumes even greater importance with the ‘The Manchester-India Partnership’ championed by Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, to help strengthen cultural and business ties between the two economies. The launch of the new service will also support with the recommendations of the UK Government, which has been promoting connectivity to other key cities in the UK, besides London Heathrow.
The new service between Mumbai and Manchester is expected to be of special significance to business & leisure travelers, as also for a significant diaspora of people, including a growing Indian community residing in and around Manchester. The fast-expanding business and industrial hub also has one of the largest student communities in Europe, besides being extremely well connected to other major cities such as Liverpool, Leeds, Lake District and Sheffield, all within close proximity to Manchester.
The new service will complement the carrier's existing thrice daily, non-stop services between Mumbai – London Heathrow, and a daily service between Delhi – London Heathrow.