Home Finance & Investments Etihad Airways’ Manchester Contact Centre Celebrates 5 year anniversary

Etihad Airways’ Manchester Contact Centre Celebrates 5 year anniversary

Etihad Airways’ Manchester Contact Centre is celebrating five years since it commenced operations in the city.

The Contact Centre opened on 12th January 2012, with a team of 23 people handling calls only in English. Today, the centre in Manchester has grown to become a 24-hour, multi-lingual workplace. It employs 175 people of 20 different nationalities, taking calls in English, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese and Japanese.

The multicultural team handles incoming calls from Etihad Airways guests and travel trade partners, spanning time zones from Manchester through to New York, Los Angeles, Seoul, Sydney, Kazakhstan, Moscow and Berlin. More than one million calls were handled by the Manchester Contact Centre in 2016, and were taken at all times of day and night, every day of the year.

Ruth Birkin, Head of Contact Centres for Etihad Airways, said: “It is great news to be able to mark five years since we opened our Manchester Contact Centre. Etihad Airways’ commitment to Manchester has developed significantly over the years with the sponsorship of Manchester City Football Club, the jobs created by the contact centre, and the economic impact delivered by twice-daily flights out of Manchester Airport. They all serve to reinforce Manchester’s place as a destination of great strategic importance for Etihad Airways.


“While there are exciting developments still to come, with the airport expansion plans at Manchester set to make the city a leading national airport hub, and we are looking forward to entering the next phase of our relationship.”

Claire Maxwell, Manchester Contact Centre Manager at Etihad Airways, added: “Having been here since day one, it’s been a rewarding experience, both professionally and personally for myself and many members of the team. It’s been an amazing five years, where we’ve been given many opportunities to develop while also delivering success in a core element of the business.

“The Manchester centre has achieved so much in its first five years and I look forward to us continuing to deliver the best service to our guests and trade partners from around the world.”

The Manchester office was the second of four global contact centres for Etihad Airways, with the airline now operating one in Abu Dhabi and two in Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Manchester Contact Centre is also home to a number of other Etihad Airways teams including Guest Relations, Web Services and the North of England Sales Team.

Etihad Airways began operating daily flights to Manchester in March 2006, doubling that to twice daily in August 2011. In July 2011, the airline announced a comprehensive 10-year sponsorship deal with Manchester City Football Club, and in August of that year opened a line maintenance facility at the airport for Etihad Airways Engineering.