New direct flights to Kuwait will be launched next month from Manchester Airport. Nearly 50,000 passengers from across the north who currently fly indirectly to the Middle Eastern destination are expected to use the new route in its first year.
With three flights a week, scheduled for Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, the Kuwait Airways service has been hailed by the hub as a 'boost' for the region's trade, tourism and students. Likely to be welcomed by those visiting family the country at the tip of the Persian Gulf, it will also help business owners looking to export to the Gulf Corporation, a connection understood to have suffered in the pandemic but now in recovery.
The route will also serve those passengers, estimated to total around 80,000, looking to use Kuwait as a launchpad for other destinations not served directly by Manchester Airport. These include Bangkok, Mumbai, Delhi, and Manila. With nearly 3,000 Kuwaiti students said to be studying in the hub's catchment area, they are another target audience. It's a potential boon for tourism too; more than 23,000 people a year visited the North West from Kuwait before the pandemic, spending £22m.
The announcement is a spot of good news amid a torrid time for the hub, which has been bowing under the pressure of increased demand during a staff shortage crisis which prompted boss Charlie Cornish to write an open letter of apology to passengers. It's led to assisstance being offered by Mayor Andy Bunrham and by Manchester Council leader Bev Craig, as the hub management team scramble to get more staff on the floor to meet the mass summer exodus.
Ian Costigan, interim managing director at Manchester Airport, heralded the 'great news, adding: "I am sure it will be incredibly well received by the thousands of people in our catchment area that travel there indirectly each year.
"The announcement of another long-haul route coming to Manchester clearly shows the role we play in connecting the North to key global destinations. Not only do routes like these make travel easier, but they put the region on the international map for trade, economic and tourism opportunities, plus create a wealth of jobs in the process.
"I look forward to welcoming the team from Kuwait Airways to the airport and wish them every success with the route.”
Maen Razouqi, Kuwait Airways Chief Executive Officer, said: “Kuwait Airways is proceeding ahead, according to its well-thought-out and effective plans in moving forward towards expanding its network of operations around the world, with the launch of new and diverse destinations that suit the preferences of its customers and meet their aspirations."
Describing Manchester as a destination 'of great importance' for tourists as well as students, Mr Razouqi rerferenced the airline's 'young fleet' of aircraft. supported by the latest technology would ensure a 'safe and pleasant journey on board the Blue Bird'.
Flights will arrive in Manchester at 11.45am UK time and depart at 12.45pm.
Susana Córdoba, Head of International Trade at the Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said: "This is a step forward in revamping and strengthening current trade flows between not just Greater Manchester but the North of England with Kuwait and the wider Gulf Cooperation countries."
Sheona Southern, Managing Director of Marketing Manchester, said the addition was 'another sign of confidence' that internatonal travel was returning to the region, adding: "This direct connectivity will bring significant economic benefits to the visitor economy, which prior to the pandemic saw 23,000 people visit the North West from Kuwait, contributing £22 million to the regional economy. We look forward to offering a warm welcome to business and leisure visitors from Kuwait, who will be able to experience all of what the region has to offer from culture and football to music and shopping.”
