Manchester will gain a new link to Canada this summer, with carrier Westjet launching flights to Halifax on June 5.
It will mark the Canadian airline’s first flights from the UK airport, which is preparing to unveil the first stage of its £1 billion expansion.
Four-times weekly flights to the Nova Scotia port city will be operated by a two-class Boeing 737-700.
It will offer onward connectivity to Westjet’s hub in Calgary and the rest of its domestic network.
Air Canada flies nonstop from Manchester to Toronto, while low-cost carrier Air Transat flies nonstop to Toronto year-round, and to Vancouver in summer.
Westjet currently has routes from Gatwick to Calgary, Halifax, Toronto and Vancouver, and from Glasgow to Halifax.
Westjet launched as a short-haul, low-cost carrier, but since 2015 has been expanding its network and service. It now has three B787-9 aircraft, with ten set to be delivered by 2021 (we reviewed premium economy class on the Dreamliner last year).
The narrow-body B737-700 serving the six-hour Manchester-Halifax route will have only two cabins (pictured above), economy and premium economy.
“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,” said Andrew Cowan, CEO of Manchester Airport.
“North America is a hugely popular market for the 22 million 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.”
A new route to Shanghai from Manchester via Helsinki is set to begin in March, and a seasonal summer service to Boston will return in May.
Westjet said its route launch would strengthen tourism between Nova Scotia and the UK, as well as building business ties between Halifax and Manchester.
Manchester Airport recently opened a new private arrivals/departures terminal, with access from £50.
Manchester Airport marks opening of private terminal Premiair
