The return of flights between the north of England and the US in a week’s time will kick-start transatlantic trade and tourism hit hard by the pandemic.
The claim came from Manchester airport as it prepares for the return of services to a number of US destinations after Washington confirmed it will be opening its borders to vaccinated UK travellers visitors again from November 8.
Before the pandemic, the UK’s third largest gateway was among the best-connected to the US in Europe, with more than a dozen direct US services handling three million passengers a year from its catchment area.
More than 307,000 Americans visited the north of England in 2019, spending more than £156 million across the region.
A total of 43 universities within the airport’s two-hour catchment area will also benefit from routes returning. The US is third on the list of most common countries of origin for international students at UK universities, with 20,000 American students enrolled at British higher education institutions in 2019-20.
The first US flights to return from Manchester will be Virgin Atlantic services to Orlando and New York.
New Aer Lingus transatlantic links creating 153 jobs at the airport will see New York flights starting on December 1 and Orlando on December 11.
Other returning routes include Atlanta by Virgin Atlantic from December 2 and Houston served by Singapore Airlines from December 1.
Manchester airport managing director Karen Smart said: “After almost two years with no flights to the USA, it is great to finally look forward to re-connecting the region with some of our most popular and important destinations.
“Not only are our US routes well loved by holidaymakers, but they are also vital to the northern economy and the prosperity of the region.
“Whether that is through the trade and investment opportunities the direct connectivity unlocks, to the inbound tourism the routes bring in, as Americans flock to key destinations like the Lake District, North Wales and York, plus to city breaks favourites like Liverpool and Manchester.
“I look forward to working closely with our airline partners as more services come back to Manchester, plus I would encourage businesses and other organisations with links to the US to get in touch so we can help them unlock their potential through our international reach.”
Virgin Atlantic chief commercial officer Juha Jarvinen said: “I’m delighted that our Orlando and New York services from Manchester airport, our home in the north, will begin on 8 November, the same day transatlantic travel reopens, shortly followed by our Atlanta service on 2 December.”
Aer Lingus chief strategy and planning officer Reid Moody added: “We know there is strong demand for direct transatlantic services from the north of England to North America.
“This is a welcome step for our business, and it will no doubt be very meaningful to those people with connections across the US, particularly with the east coast as our New York and Orlando routes are introduced from December.”
Mohamed Rafi Mar, Singapore Airlines UK and Ireland general manager, said: “Before the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced 98% of our flights globally to be grounded in March 2020, Singapore Airlines had been Manchester airport’s longest serving long-haul carrier, having operated continuously since 1986.
“We are delighted to resume our Houston flights in December and offer more travel options to our passengers from the Manchester region, after relaunching our flights to Singapore in the summer.”