Manx2 Brings Scheduled Links to London Oxford

Regional carrier Manx2.com is to introduce flights from London Oxford Airport to the Isle of Man and Jersey from May this year, a major fillip for the facility in its drive to attract more scheduled traffic. The two new destinations will be linked to the UK mainland on a daily basis from May 8, 2012.

As Manx2 is a virtual airline, effectively a ticket provider that piggybacks on the Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) of established regional carriers, the new routes will be flown on its behalf by Linksair using a 19-seat BAe Jetstream 31.

“We are delighted to welcome Manx2.com. This is a terrific start to the New Year for the residents of Oxford and our wider catchment area, with more than five million people residing within an hour’s drive of the airport,” said Chris Orphanou, Managing Director, London Oxford Airport. “As Jersey and the Isle of Man no longer have air services to London Heathrow, this service will be a viable alternative for Islanders heading west of London. In addition the new services will benefit the local community with expanded tourism and ancillary revenues,” he added.

As Chris Orphanou noted neither of these destinations is now served from London Heathrow, the closest facility to the London Oxford catchment, but there is strong demand from the London and South East to both destinations. The table below shows the estimated O&D traffic between the London airports that have had scheduled flights to either the Isle of Man and Jersey in the past year, as well as the current capacity on the routes.

The Isle of Man is expected to appeal to the leisure market, ideal for short breaks with its scenery and unspoilt beaches, as well as business travellers with interests in offshore banking, aircraft and shipping management, finance and tourism. Jersey has already been served from London Oxford on a seasonal charter basis with weekly flights for the past three years. The year-round, daily flight will bring new flexibility to the Channel Islands, one of the top holiday destinations for UK residents.

“London Oxford Airport is a very attractive addition to our route network, located halfway between London and the UK’s industrial centre in the Midlands,” said Noel Hayes, Chairman, Manx2.com. “Since we launched Manx2.com six years ago, customers repeatedly tell us that they prefer to use the smaller, easy to access regional airports.”

The flights have been scheduled to connect directly through London Oxford meaning that passengers can easily use the new services to travel between Jersey and the Isle of Man. Manx2.com now offers regular links between the Isle of Man and Blackpool, Belfast, Leeds Bradford, Newcastle, Gloucester and Anglesey and also has a contract with the Welsh Government to provide flights between Cardiff and Anglesey.