Manchester: New Route Development & Rumours

[Land23R]

SPD Travels on X did add "but likely just hedging which slots to use and expected to be 4-7 weekly".

 

[Scottie Dog]

Full credit to #laviation on Pprune for the following - I'm travelling home today by road and so will not have time to post my own views:

NB with Malaysian.
2 daily slots are held, but I would realistically expect a 3/4 weekly morning flight to get the ball rolling (as SPD Travels alluded to on TwitterX).
Very good catch by the routes team considering they only serve LHR and CDG in Europe nowadays. I’d surmise it’s an opportunistic play to capture a share of the connecting market while the Gulf carriers are weakened, as well as serve the decently sized O&D market between MAN and Kuala Lumpur - around 50,000 passengers a year. Even with fuel costs, the A350 is a much more economical and viable option than the old B744/B772 that was used on the route in the early noughties.

Other highlights and commentary

• Riyadh Air daily - up from the planned 3x weekly this summer. It all depends on B787/A321 deliveries.
• Emirates 5 daily (3 A388/2 A359) - Don’t expect this at all TBH. If anything did come to fruition, then likely to be the EK33/34 late evening turn.
• Etihad 3 daily (3 B77W) - One of the more likely to happen, given EY’s aggressive expansion network wide and strong loads at MAN, though I’d say 18 weekly on 2 B789/1 B77W the most probable outcome. They were very briefly at 18 weekly for about 2 weeks in February until the Iran kick off.
• Qatar 4 daily (1 A35K, 3 B789) - Again, likewise with Emirates, sticking to 3 daily given the geopolitical situation is what seems to be the plan - 3x B77W.
• PIA to daily - They’re up to 5 weekly (4 ISB/1 LHE) by July, and with more and more B777s slowly coming back online, it’s entirely plausible that we’ll see ISB up to 5 weekly and LHE to 2 weekly by the winter season.
• Air Canada YYZ - already confirmed and bookable. The first time that AC have been year round since the 1990s, and between them and TS, the most seats we’ve had to Toronto in the winter in a very long time.
• Air Baltic KAO - already confirmed and bookable. I really do wonder why they haven’t jumped back on RIX given the great loads on Ryanair, but seem to want to add this rather random route. Still, great to see them back.
• easyJet to SPX/NUE/KLU? - Based off of my arithmetic with seats and slots, out of the new routes applied for, SPX/NUE/KLU are with U2. Giza (Sphinx) would be a more than welcome addition for pyramid seekers - the MS service is great, but the trek from CAI to Giza is a nightmare with traffic. Would make Cairo 12x weekly from MAN, joining 10 MS flights weekly. Nuremberg appears to be aimed at Xmas markets in Nov/Dec, and Klagenfurt at skiiers.
• Ryanair big increase - Applied for what would make 12/13 extra daily flights. Is MoL happy with having an entire terminal to himself? It would certainly seem so!

 

[gulftraveller]

I would have thought SPX would be U2 seasonal. Given that U2 do not operate at NUE or KLU currently, these two are more likely to be FR. PMO on U2 and CAG on FR would also make sense.

 

[BlueManc]

Indigo/Norse redeployment news.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2067899860162871539

4 weekly MAN-BKK from December

 

[David_itl]

as noted by SPD travels, tucked away in this is Air Peace 3 weekly to Lagos https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/othe...3-Ot5_gTgoYE7jG6lY_aem_PwaM0HVwZmvYuKvUE48iHA

background is page 26 on this Airbus study https://www.aircraft.airbus.com/sit...rom_within_africa_by_geert_lemaire_-_2024.pdf

 

[Scottie Dog]

That will be a very interesting win for the airport, if it comes to fruition.

 

[Scottie Dog]

#laviation has reported, on Pprune, that Rwandair hold slots for 3 times weekly to Kigali via CDG. Mon, Wed, Fri with A330.
I assume this is for winter 26/27.
Nothing currently on the airline website.

 

[CCGE29]

Could be an interesting couple of weeks coming then… in a few directions.


CCGE29

 

[Jerry]

American?

https://twitter.com/x/status/2092637429832225157

 

[Land23R]

Could be an interesting couple of weeks coming then… in a few directions.


CCGE29

Always interested to read your posts CCGE29.
Are you able to elaborate? As there's nothing from UA & AA's announcements on Tuesday and today, looking West to the US is out, so is there hope from the East & the South?

 

[LS@MAN]

Always interested to read your posts CCGE29.
Are you able to elaborate? As there's nothing from UA & AA's announcements on Tuesday and today, looking West to the US is out, so is there hope from the East & the South?

I echo your sentiments.
After the disappointment of no new routes from AA or United a few weeks back, it would be interesting to see what new routes and / or airlines are coming to MAN in the future. I can only think of east and / or south (Africa maybe?).
The rumour on Wizz Air coming to MAN has gone very quiet now. This was apparently with away based aircraft, be good to see them at T3 with Ryanair. I'm sure there is room for them at MAN between Leeds and Liverpool, where they already serve...(do I hear a consolidation)...

 

[ian_h]

This is an interesting watch, MAN gets a mention.....

 

[BlueManc]

It all sounds plausible but why hasn't our AA Philadelphia route returned? It was well supported by AstraZeneca execs in business class. That business connection is still there.

 

[LS@MAN]

Could be an interesting couple of weeks coming then… in a few directions.


CCGE29

I appreciate you used the word 'could', but it's almost a month since you post, so I can only assume these interesting couple of weeks didn't materialize or we could be in for a few surprises soon...?

We really need a carrier to take over the lost Delhi and Mumbai services.
I read that Virgin will be selling their A330-300's to SAS next year, maybe some new routes with Virgin on their new A330neo...?

 

[mullion]

New service started this morning Riyadh Air, arrived early in pouring rain at 06.20

 

[CCGE29]

I appreciate you used the word 'could', but it's almost a month since you post, so I can only assume these interesting couple of weeks didn't materialize or we could be in for a few surprises soon...?

We really need a carrier to take over the lost Delhi and Mumbai services.
I read that Virgin will be selling their A330-300's to SAS next year, maybe some new routes with Virgin on their new A330neo...?

I appreciate you used the word 'could', but it's almost a month since you post, so I can only assume these interesting couple of weeks didn't materialize or we could be in for a few surprises soon...?

We really need a carrier to take over the lost Delhi and Mumbai services.
I read that Virgin will be selling their A330-300's to SAS next year, maybe some new routes with Virgin on their new A330neo...?

One of these suggested was the then announced evening SV service. Also partially to hint of a potential new African service which has since been pretty widely discussed. There’s still some things going on behind the scenes so not all hope is lost for further increases / new services.

There’s some European cuts for the winter program which have also been publicised elsewhere. A hefty increase in Ryanair’s winter program and a significant increase in LS winter flying more than make up for it.

We mustn’t forget the increases from our based carriers which go unnoticed because they’re not a ‘new tail’.

The geopolitical situation in the last six months hasn’t been kind to the industry - let’s hope the next six months we will see more progress.

CCGE29

New service started this morning Riyadh Air, arrived early in pouring rain at 06.20

Loads in/out pretty standard for a first flight with limited connections. Completely full of cargo though on both sectors so that alone will be raking in the cash!

Certainly one to watch over the coming months…

CCGE29

 

[LS@MAN]

Yes, of course. My thinking was of an expected new route by a specific US carrier or a new route by Virgin to the US, but I appreciate that going East is the way forward right now, rather than the West.
Although any type of increase and / or new service is very welcome. We are short of African destinations outside of the tourist hotspots, so it will be good to get some new services to this growing continent.

Good news ref Ryanair's winter increase, considering their recent announcement ref winter cuts / decreases. Same for Jet2, it's always nice to have the home based carriers increasing.

Indeed, we need the wars to end and soon. We are in a good position at MAN and very lucky as a regional airport outside of London. Let this momentum continue moving forward.