Posted: 18/01/2012
Daily scheduled flights will soon be starting between Jersey and London Oxford Airport. The service is being offered by Manx2.com and will begin on May 8th with a departure time of 13:50 from Jersey, arriving in London Oxford just one hour later. The return flight will leave at 12:25 arriving in Jersey at 13:30.
The service will connect directly through Oxford onto the Isle of Man every day, so it also provides a seven days a week link between the two Crown Dependencies.
Manx2.com was set up in 2006 to provide convenient flights to easy-to-access regional airports, so that customers could avoid the congestion, delays and frequent queues at the major UK hubs. It currently offers services on seven routes between the Isle of Man and Blackpool, Belfast City, Leeds, Gloucester (M5), Anglesey and Newcastle, as well as a connection between Anglesey and Cardiff.
With a history stretching back 1000 years, Oxford is recognised as one of the most beautiful cities in the UK, and is home to a wealth of architectural, historical and cultural attractions, not least the oldest university in the English speaking world. It is less than an hour's drive to London's West End, and offers easy access to the nearby Cotswolds, Blenheim Palace, Silverstone motor racing circuit, Bicester shopping village, Stratford-upon-Avon and Henley-on-Thames.
Given those attractions, Oxford has become the third most visited city in the UK, after the capitals of Edinburgh and London.
Oxford's award winning airport boasts a state-of-the-art new passenger terminal with convenient and affordable parking. Rental cars can also be booked from the airport. It offers good access to the M40 motorway and with a new local rail station at Kidlington opening early in 2013, providing access to the mainline rail network at London's Marylebone for the first time, the airport terminal will be accessible from London in less than an hour via public transport.
“Since we launched the business in 2006, the feedback we have had repeatedly from customers is that they love the smaller, easy-to-use regional airports, said Manx2.com Chairman Noel Hayes. “On that basis we are tremendously excited to be launching this new air route from Jersey to London Oxford. I think many people are getting pretty tired of the queues, hassle and delays at the big airport hubs – our business is about getting them to where they want to be, with the minimum of fuss”.
“London Oxford will be a really attractive addition to the Jersey route network. The seasonal services have been popular, so we think there is certainly the demand for a daily flight, given the popularity of Oxford, and the nearby Cotswolds region generally. Furthermore, as Jersey no longer has a regular service to London Heathrow, London Oxford will be a viable alternative for accessing West London”.
“It sits halfway between London and the UK's industrial centre in the Midlands; and the Thames Valley region generally is highest ranked region for high-tech services in the whole European Union. Given the focus in Jersey on growing its IT sector, based on the new fibre-optic broadband network, I think these sorts of links will also be important for local businesses'.
Minister for Economic Development, Senator Alan Maclean added: “We're delighted to have a daily scheduled service on the London Oxford route operating from May this year; I think it's another important addition to the Island's route network, and will provide a convenient way for people living in the Thames Valley region to get to the Island. That is clearly an affluent and well-populated area, and this additional option for getting here will certainly be supported by our UK marketing campaigns”.
Seats are now on sale through Manx2.com's website www.manx2.com from £54.95 single (fully inclusive). The flights will normally be operated by Jetstream 31 aircraft. The company has also been offering a seasonal service between Jersey and Gloucester (M5) for the last three years, and that route will be on the schedule again this summer in addition to the London Oxford flights.