Bmi announces Heathrow long haul routes

Bmi is to start its first long haul flights from Heathrow on May 14 with a four times weekly service to Mumbai, India.

This will be followed by three flights a week to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Bmi will be the only UK carrier serving the Saudi capital from Britain after British Airways withdrew its service.

The airline is to introduce a fourth aircraft into its long haul fleet to support the development of the Heathrow network.

The additional long haul aircraft, a leased Boeing 757 from Icelandair, will be based at Manchester and serve Washington, DC, allowing one of bmi’s Manchester Airbus A330s to be based at London Heathrow to commence the new routes to Mumbai and Riyadh.

The airline says it is determined to introduce even more flights and to serve a greater number of destinations, including India, as soon as the opportunity is presented.

Services to Mumbai will operate on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday with return flights to London Heathrow on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

Riyadh will be served on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday with return flights departing on the same days.

Bmi chief executive Nigel Turner said: “We are of course delighted to be confirming the launch date of the first ever bmi long haul services from London Heathrow, as well as the addition of another key destination to be served shortly afterwards. 

“This is a great opportunity for London travellers to experience, for the first time on long haul flights, the whole range of service benefits and competitive fares that bmi has built its reputation on.  Our award winning three-class cabin will provide London travellers to Mumbai and Riyadh with a range of products to suit their needs.

“We remain determined to press our case for greater frequencies and the chance to serve more destinations in India as soon as the opportunity is given.

“We are hopeful that the next round of bilateral talks in April 2005 will lead to further frequencies being available in the near future.  In the meantime bmi will be bringing much needed, genuine and vigorous competition into the London market.

“Bmi will have launched six new long haul destinations in less than nine months. To support our increasing presence in this market, we will be adding an additional long haul aircraft into our fleet. 

“This will create more jobs within bmi as well as having a beneficial impact on our suppliers of goods and services.  This is excellent news for the local economies around the airports we serve as well as UK plc.

“The support and success we have had for our six USA and Caribbean services from Manchester has provided us with the confidence to invest further in the development of our long haul network.”

Report by Phil Davies