bmibaby announces big routes expansion

Friday, 02 Aug, 2002 0

bmibaby will serve 23 destinations from East Midlands Airport by the end of the year, as the low cost carrier takes over its parent’s routes and adds on more services.

The no-frills airline is taking over current bmi routes Amsterdam (Schiphol), Belfast (International), Brussels (National), Edinburgh, Glasgow (International), Paris (Charles de Gaulle) and Jersey plus adding new destinations Salzburg and Toulouse.

In addition, bmibaby said it also plans to introduce a daily flight from East Midlands to Madrid. bmibaby currently serves nine destinations from the airport; Barcelona, Dublin, Faro, Ibiza, Malaga, Murcia, Nice, Palma and Prague and has already announced that it will be adding Alicante, Geneva, Munich and Milan to its network from the start of its winter timetable on 27 October.

In total the airline will operate 400 flights per week in and out of the airport.

bmibaby managing director Tony Davis (right) said: “Our announcement today is tremendous news and a major boost for people in the Midlands and beyond. From 27 October the region will benefit from an even wider network of low cost flights that will be greater than those on offer from London airports by their home based low cost airlines.

“The rate of growth, both in terms of passengers carried and destinations served, that bmibaby is experiencing, is unprecedented in any low cost airline start up. In less than two years, by the end of 2003, we anticipate that bmibaby will carry two million passengers a year from East Midlands Airport and a further one million from our second UK base at Cardiff International Airport, with a fleet of 11 dedicated aircraft.”

Mr Davis added that bmibaby aims to overtake British Airways as the largest airline in the Midlands.

See our previous stories:
02-Aug-2002: Going, going, gone: easyJet completes Go takeover
29-Jul-2002: bmi to go completely no-frills at East Midlands Airport
26 Jul 2002 :bmibaby to serve nine destinations from Cardiff
04 Jul 2002: Cardiff named as second bmibaby base
17 May 2002: Confusion reigns over location of East Midlands Airport
07 May 2002: No-frills consolidation is ‘inevitable’ says analyst
29 Apr 2002 bmibaby md dismisses analyst’s criticisms
17 Apr 2002: bmibaby to have second UK base