CARGO handler Plane Handling is creating an initial 35 jobs at Manchester Airport. The company, owned by Virgin Aviation Services and GHI, is taking a nine-year lease on a 40,000 sq ft transit shed and will move in next February.

Operations director Pat Heslop said: "Manchester is an excellent prospect for our business - 60pc of manufacturing industry is within a two-hour drive of the airport. We intend to make Manchester into a significant hub operation, increasing our handled tonnage there by 10pc within the first year."

Mr Geoff Muirhead, Manchester Airport's Chief Executive, said: "Plane Handling's expansion from London Heathrow underlines Manchester's strategic importance in serving northern Britain.

"An additional transit shed operator should act as a catalyst for Manchester's future business growth, attracting new routes and airlines. We are pleased by this development."

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