Media Archive

MANX2.COM TO SET UP BASE IN BELFAST

Manx2.com is set to establish a permanent base in Belfast from October.

It will be the first permanent base the Company, which is based in Douglas, has established outside of the Isle of Man. The move will also see two aircraft based at Belfast's City Airport.

Manx2.com Chairman Noel Hayes: "With the significant changes taking place in the aviation sector this year, with passenger numbers declining and many airlines either restructuring or going broke, there are opportunities for smaller companies nimble enough to respond to these market changes. From 31st October all our Belfast services will be relocated to Belfast City airport and we are starting a new twice daily service from Belfast to Cork. Services to Galway and the Isle of Man will all originate from our new Belfast hub from October, enabling us to offer up to five flights a day from George Best Airport to Ronaldsway. This will help maintain connectivity and offer a great choice of flight times for our Belfast customers.

"While we'll be sorry to leave Belfast International Airport, our passenger surveys confirm that our lower volume commuter routes are better suited to Belfast City Airport, where speed of transit through the terminal and fast access to the City's business centre are seen as key benefits.

"The collapse in domestic passenger numbers over the last 18 months has played havoc with the UK air network. Highland Airways went bust, Air South West and Aurigny are both for sale after incurring heavy losses, BMI has been restructured and now Aer Arann is under court protection having lost E18m in three years. Volumes on many routes are down by over 30 percent and in some areas Manx2.com is also being forced to reduce frequency and reschedule flights and the massive overcapacity from the Isle of Man to the North of England will inevitably lead other operators to cutback schedules this winter. However our model of frequent flights on smaller aircraft gives us more flexibility than many to preserve lifeline services and we plan to maintain a daily service to Leeds Bradford Airport and Newcastle throughout this winter. Manx2 has remained consistently profitable and our ability to respond quickly has also seen us fill gaps where other operators have stopped - Cardiff to Anglesey started in June and our new Belfast City to Cork is now being launched. The basing of two aircraft in Belfast is also further evidence of our commitment to expanding and diversifying our business internationally by growing a network of smaller commuter routes on the island of Ireland and integrating this network with our IOM home base.

Manx2.com employs 60 staff and has a fleet of seven aircraft providing up to 30 flights a day to the Isle of Man. Manx2.com is proud to be a small Isle of Man based company carrying 100,000 passengers a year between the Isle of Man and Blackpool, Belfast, Leeds Bradford, Newcastle, Gloucester and Jersey. It has recently been voted the Island's best small company for the second time in three years at the annual IOM Newspapers Excellence Awards.

Latest info updated on Manx2.com.com's new twitter feed on www.manx2.com

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Issued by:

Kara McCabe
Isle of Man Advertising and Public Relations Limited                          Tel: (01624) 620440