MANCHESTER Airport has celebrated the New Year by developing a closer link to Shanghai, benefitting nearly 200,000 who fly there by other means.

The airport will commence services to the city from March and hopes to attract the 183,000 travellers in the airport's catchment area.

Existing Chinese routes have already seen a 38% increase in Chinese visitors.

Wang Qun, General Manager at Juneyao UK, said: “What better way for China to welcome in the New Year with a new route to Manchester, and Juneyao Air’s first base in the UK.

“The route will be a huge advantage to the people in Northern England looking to access Shanghai and vice versa with people in China looking to access what Manchester and the wider North has to offer."

Manchester boasts Europe’s third largest Chinatown and the North has seen a nine per cent increase in Chinese students since Manchester’s route to Beijing launched three years ago.