Business leaders hail direct flights to Texas
BUSINESS leaders and academics in the North West say new direct flights from Manchester to Houston in Texas and the return of non-stop flights to Singapore will deliver a major boost to the region.
The will be key to driving growth in the region in the years to come, such as energy, life sciences and financial services, they say.
Currently, more than 31,500 people from the North West fly to Texas every year but have to travel indirectly via London or other overseas hubs.
Singapore Airlines will start flying direct from Manchester Airport to Houston from October 30. It is the first ever direct service from the North to Houston and will be Singapore Airlines’ first ever transatlantic service in the UK.
Whilst more than 40,000 people from the North West currently travel to Singapore using the current service, which stops in Munich or travelling via other hubs.
A host of business groups, as well as individual companies, have all praised the new services and believe they are a massive benefit to the region and will unlock new business, investment and tourism opportunities for the region.
Geoffrey Piper, chief executive of the North West Business Leadership Team, said: ‘‘The importance to the North West’s international businesses of direct connectivity with key centres such as Houston and Singapore cannot be overestimated.
“The ability to access a non-stop service to Houston/Singapore from Manchester will deliver a range of business benefits to such companies in terms of productivity and efficiency, and in turn help to drive growth.”
Brandon Leigh, chief executive of listed Manchester consumer products group PZ Cussons, said: “With operations around the world, access to Manchester Airport is already a key factor in the location of our headquarters.
“We regularly use the Singapore Airlines route to Singapore and so news it will now be a non-stop service is a significant boost to our business, as it will save valuable time for our employees travelling to that part of the world to do business.”
Carl Emery, owner of Harris and Howard Tailors, based in Alderley Edge, Cheshire said: “As a business with bases in both Cheshire and Houston, we are delighted to hear of the new route launch from Manchester to Houston.
“Being able to fly directly from Manchester will significantly improve our journey time as we work alongside our office in Houston, no longer having to make time consuming connections via other airports.”
Brian Watt, vice president at Innospec, based in Ellesmere Port, said: “With major offices and laboratories in both Ellesmere Port and Houston, we have significant traffic between the North West and Texas. Not only will this route save us time, by avoiding connections in Heathrow or Frankfurt, but it will hopefully offer lower cost, on what is one of the most expensive routes to the USA”.
Susana Cordoba, head of international trade at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said: “As the US is one of our top five export markets, having more direct flights connecting the USA to the North West is a great step forward to driving further trade, investment and tourism between our two countries.”
Professor Stephen Flint, associate vice-president – Internationalisation at the University of Manchester, said: “Direct flights to Texas will be extremely helpful to The University of Manchester as we’re looking to strengthen our research partnerships in this region.
The University has won significant research funding from Houston-based international companies, aimed at replacing oil with gas in the transition to low carbon energy production.”
Rob Magraw, Operations Manager, BakerRisk Europe, said: “With offices in Chester and Houston we are eagerly awaiting the opportunities this direct flight brings. Since it will virtually halve the travel time for our staff it will directly improve our competitiveness on transatlantic projects and offer real savings we can pass on to our clients
Mike Perls, chair of IoD North West, said: “The significance of these direct services to Singapore and Houston, following the recent additions of direct routes to San Francisco and Beijing cannot be overstated.
“These are key markets, especially for the Northern capabilities in Life Sciences and Energy and will allow easier access to finance, contracts and talent. One of the main drivers of the Northern Powerhouse initiative is the ability for our main clusters to connect both internally and internationally. It’s encouraging to see Manchester Airport and the airlines making this a reality.”
Ken O’Toole, Manchester Airport chief executive, said: “The launch of Singapore Airlines’ service to Houston is another significant milestone for Manchester Airport. It will become the airport’s 13th US destination with the 14th set to open next year when flights to San Francisco commence.
“Once again it will be another direct route that is unavailable anywhere else in the UK outside of London. We understand how important direct access to key markets like the US is to stimulating trade and tourism for regions across the North.”
Sheldon Hee, Singapore Airlines, general manager of UK & Ireland, said: “We’re excited to launch our non-stop services to Houston and Singapore from Manchester. This five times weekly service is part of our commitment to growth in Manchester and will provide businesses with the most direct route to Texas and the growing markets of Asia via Singapore.”
