A new air passenger service between the Isle of Man and Chester is all set to start later this year, iomtoday can reveal.
Bosses of airline Wales European Aviation (flyWEA), whose headquarters is in Chester, unveiled the plans yesterday (Wednesday) at a business networking event tied in with the forthcoming International Business Festival (IBF) in Liverpool.
Director James Brown, who was at the Palace Hotel, Douglas with fellow directors, hailed the new service as very exciting.
He said: ‘We are looking at running direct air services from the Isle of Man to Chester at least three times a week between Monday and Friday and maybe one service a day on Saturday and Sunday.
‘We are ready to go and we are just waiting for the CAA (the Civil Aviation Authority) to give us all the authorities to start. We will start with a 19-seater and once we know the demand is there we will move up to a 50-seater.’
Mr Brownsaid the new service had been four or five years in the planning.
Mr Brown said that outside London the area around Cheshire was a very important financial sector. ‘It’s the Rolls Royce of England, I think,’ said Mr Brown. ‘Where do all the footballers live? In Cheshire.
‘Everything is ready to go, the aircraft, insurances, the crew, we are just waiting for the CAA.’
The flyWEA delegation spoke exclusively to the Manx Independent shortly before leaving the conference to be whisked down to Ronaldsway for more meetings to discuss their arrangements.
It promises to be more good news for the island air links.
The service to Robin Hood Doncaster-Sheffield starts next Monday and services have just started to Glasgow. Yesterday’s event saw businesses from the Liverpool area network with local concerns.
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More from the event in next Tuesday’s Business News in the Examiner