Hogan, centre, with other officials

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, yesterday opened its Manchester guest contact centre with a reception for government officials and local business leaders.

Based at the Voyager Building at Manchester Airport, the centre is the airline’s first in Europe and fourth in the world. It will operate in conjunction with existing guest contact centres in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and India.

The guest contact centre will provide full time employment for 160 local people, all of whom will receive extensive training in all aspects of the company’s global reservations system.

Manchester was chosen as the location for Etihad Airways’ first European guest contact centre after extensive research showed the city’s population offered the optimal mix of languages and skill sets. Manchester’s telecommunications infrastructure also put it ahead of rival cities.  

Etihad Airways president and chief executive officer James Hogan said: “The opening of the Etihad Airways Manchester guest contact centre further demonstrates Etihad Airways’ commitment to the north of England.

“We are delighted to be able to provide further employment opportunities for the people of Manchester while at the same time ensuring we are ideally positioned to meet the needs of passengers throughout Europe for the foreseeable future. “ – TradeArabia News Service