New Etihad Airways Contact Centre to Employ 160 in Manchester

Etihad Airways has selected Manchester in the north west of England as the location for its newest contact centre.

The new centre, which is expected to be operational in 2012, will employ up to 160 people and operate in addition to Etihad’s existing contact centres in Abu Dhabi, including the newly opened Al Ain contact centre, India and Australia.

Etihad is currently working with Manchester Airports Group to identify a suitable location on the airport campus for the centre.

“Our contact centres handle around 2.5 million calls each year, and we expect more than half of these calls to originate from non-Arabic speaking markets by 2012,” said James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ Chief Executive Officer. “As our network continues to grow, it is increasingly important for us to provide high quality, multilingual assistance for customers who choose to book directly with the airline. We looked closely at a range of potential locations in the United Kingdom and Europe, and undertook extensive research to find the location that offered us a population base with the right mix of languages and skill sets, as well as a high quality of telecommunications infrastructure. Manchester offered everything we needed, and had the added attraction of having strong, well-established business links with Abu Dhabi – a relationship we look forward to developing further.”

Angie Robinson, Chief Executive at Manchester Investment and Development Agency (MIDAS), said, “MIDAS is delighted that Etihad has chosen Manchester as the home for their new European Contact Centre. This investment, which is set to create 160 jobs for the region, is testament to the strengths of Manchester's multi-lingual talent pool and its ability to support major pan-European operations. MIDAS worked closely with Etihad to demonstrate why Manchester was the right location for this project and we're looking forward to continuing to work alongside them as they grow their presence here.”

The airline commenced operations to Manchester on 26 March 2006, and has plans to increase its frequency on the route to a double daily service from 1 August 2011.

Etihad’s commitment to Manchester also includes the opening of an Etihad premium lounge at Manchester Airport in December 2010 – one of only four lounges outside its home base of Abu Dhabi, and the shirt sponsorship of the Manchester City Football Club.

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