New gateway opens to Caribbean paradise

SUNSEEKERS flying from Manchester Airport will have the benefit of a new route the Caribbean island of Aruba from next summer.

The new route has been announced by Thomson and First Choice and will go on sale from Thursday (April 23).

The new route will enable travellers to choose a variety of durations for their trips – not just the standard seven and 14 stays.

Also on offer will be 10 and 11 durations to Chania, Crete as of summer 2016.

Director of aviation planning for Thomson and First Choice, Karen Switzer, said: “Adding more capacity from Manchester and the introduction of a new route to Aruba in the Caribbean demonstrates our commitment to Manchester Airport and the local area, and following the success of similar routes across a number of regional airports, we know that the demand is there.
 
“We are pleased to be able to extend our long haul offering allowing our customers in the Manchester area to experience new destinations, travelling on our 787 Dreamliner.

“Expanding access to our portfolio of destinations and hotels is a key part of our overall strategy and we hope that this move will enhance the holiday experience for our customers.”

Stephen Turner, commercial director at Manchester Airport said: “We are delighted to see the additional capacity from Thomson and First Choice at Manchester Airport, the extra route also strengthens their offering from the UK’s Global Gateway from the North.

“We are seeing more and more passengers ‘Fly Manchester’, which is evident after our most successful year on record where 22.32m passengers travelled through the UK’s third biggest airport. We are sure the additional capacity and new route to Aruba will prove to be popular with the 22m people in our catchment area.”