Gatwick chosen as London base by bmibaby

Bmibaby is to fly from Gatwick for the first time with the launch of flights to Cork and Prague. Daily services are planned from April 30 with one-way internet fares starting at £23.99 on both routes. BMI’s low cost arm also unveiled SkySeats which it claims is the first online seat selection service to be offered by a no-frills airline in the UK. The start of flights from Gatwick is bmibaby’s first move into the South East following bases in Nottingham East Midlands, Manchester, Cardiff and Teesside. Easyjet has already established a strong presence as Gatwick’s main no-frills carrier but bmibaby hinted today that further routes will be added from the airport. The airline’s managing director Tony Davis said: “We believe London Gatwick offers the right catchment profile for our South East base. Importantly, it also offers capacity for growth in the future.” Bmi group chief executive Austin Reid claimed that bmibaby from Gatwick would complement rather than compete with bmi’s mainstream routes from Heathrow. “We’ve seen – and learnt from – the mistakes that other airlines have made in the past. We are very aware of the issues of competing within the same business,” he said. Seats go on sale tomorrow and will be supported by the carrier’s first London advertising campaign on Monday on the Underground.