Etihad opts for Voyager House for contact centre

ETIHAD, the Middle East airline has chosen Voyager House at Manchester Airport as the base for its European Contact centre.

The airline will create around 160 jobs at the facility which should open next year. It has taken 22,948sq ft at Voyager.

Etihad chief executive James Hogan said: “In terms of its proximity to transport links and its position at the centre of Manchester’s aviation industry, the Voyager building is the perfect location in which to base our European contact centre.

“We looked closely at a range of alternatives, but the Voyager building proved the best choice. We are excited about commencing operations from the centre as soon as possible and deepening our already strong ties to the city of Manchester.”

Earlier this month Etihad – club sponsor of Manchester CIty FC –  opened a line maintenance facility at Manchester and has recently increased the frequency of its Manchester-Abu Dhabi flights from seven to 14 a week.

Charlie Cornish, chief executive of Manchester Airports Group (MAG), said: “Since Manchester was selected in March ahead of several other top European cities, we have worked very closely with Etihad Airways to finalise a deal to situate the new centre at Manchester Airport and we look forward to furthering this partnership as they continue to grow their presence in the UK and investment in the region

“Etihad is a major global business and this deal demonstrates the type of high-quality international organisation that we are confident of attracting to Manchester with our Airport City proposition, which we believe will become one of Europe’s most accessible and attractive commercial locations.”