THE SIX to Launch Shared-Seat Private Jet Day Trips from Manchester Airport in 2027, Starting with a Champagne Experience

Millie and Duncan Falconer, a husband-and-wife team, are launching THE SIX, a private aircraft experience operating from Manchester Airport. Passengers book seats on a private jet rather than chartering a whole aircraft. Guests can book two, four or all six seats, and a private group can take all six. Transfers, flights and dining are included in the price.

The first trip, planned for 2027, will fly to the Champagne region of France. It includes a visit to a Champagne house, a guided tour, cellar tastings and lunch, with a return to Manchester the same evening. Tickets cost £3,495 per person. A second trip is planned to the Isle of Islay, combining golf and whisky, and a Valentine's trip to Paris is a future idea.

Some trips will use a PC12 carrying six passengers, while larger jets could carry up to eight guests. Flights will operate from Signature, the airport's private aircraft terminal. The business is currently gauging interest in its first trip, and interested travellers can register on the brand's website to join a waiting list with priority access to the first 2027 departures.

Duncan Falconer's career has spanned hospitality and aviation: he began at The Chester Grosvenor Hotel aged 14, later ran a gastro pub business in Cheshire and became a commercial airline pilot. The venture is backed by investor Jason Blight, whom he met at The Chester Grosvenor. Millie Falconer, who previously worked for Flight Centre, will run the business day to day, while Duncan will focus on strategy, development and aviation.

THE SIX sits in the space between scheduled airline travel and full private charter. Charter economics normally depend on one buyer paying for the entire aircraft; selling two, four or six seats spreads the cost across several parties and turns the flight into a product with a fixed itinerary rather than a bespoke trip. The pricing, at £3,495 per person, signals that this is aimed at a premium leisure buyer, not at the time-sensitive business traveller who typically drives private aviation demand.

Falconer's stated reasoning for Manchester is that the airport lacks comparable aviation products and that aspirational travellers are looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. That makes the venture a test of regional demand outside London, where this kind of offering would meet more established competition. Because the business is still gauging interest and building a waiting list, the evidence of demand arrives with sign-ups for the first 2027 departures and whether the Islay trip follows the Champagne run.