City in the running for Etihad call centre jobs

MANCHESTER is one of three cities on the shortlist for a new European call centre for Middle East airline Etihad, which would create 200 jobs.

A decision will be taken by the end of the summer, the airline’s chief executive James Hogan said at last night’s Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce annual dinner.

Manchester – which already has strong ties with Etihad thanks to the airline’s sponsorship of Manchester City, is competing against Dublin and Brussels for the “significant investment”, Mr Hogan said.

“The most important thing is the available language skills from the talent pool but we’ll also see incentives we achieve from the local government and then make a decision.”

Asked what made Manchester a strong contender, he said the city’s talent pool and strong track record for call centres, combined with Etihad’s operational presence here, made it a good option.

The national airline for Abu Dhabi operates seven return flights there each week.
It is  bringing a larger aircraft, a Boeing 777, onto its Manchester routes this summer and is also opening its own executive lounge at Mancester Airpiort Terminal One.

Mr Hogan said:”Manchester is an important location for us. We are pleased with the passenger numbers and that is why we’re putting ther bigger aircraft on. I believe in future the capacity could be there for a double daily flight too.

“The new lounge will open towards the end of the year and it’s is further demonstration of our commitment to the North West market.”