The low-cost carrier is to add seven new routes from Belfast City including a new Amsterdam service, but will cease operations from Cardiff and Manchester at the end of the summer.
The carrier will add routes from Belfast to Malaga, Alicante, Palma, Faro and Ibiza for summer 2012, in addition to a new year-round six-times weekly service to Amsterdam from October 31, and a twice-weekly winter service to Geneva from December 17. Tickets for the new routes go on sale today (April 13).
Bmibaby currently flies to Birmingham, Cardiff, East Midlands, London Stansted and Manchester from Belfast City, and says that it will be the only carrier offer flights from Belfast City to these new European routes.
The carrier will also add two new routes from East Midlands to Toulouse and Chambery this winter, and says that more routes will soon be announced for summer 2012 from both East Midlands and Birmingham. Bmibaby is to base one additional aircraft at both airports. The launch dates and frequencies for the new routes are detailed below.
However Belfast and East Midland’s gain is Cardiff and Manchester’s loss, as the carrier says it will cease operations from the two airports at the end of the summer. In a statement Bmibaby said:
“In the current economic climate it is essential for Bmibaby to focus on airports where the airline already has a strong market presence and where there are strong growth opportunities for the bmibaby business. Therefore bmibaby has optimised their current flying programme and as a result of this Bmibaby will cease operations from Cardiff Airport and from Manchester Airport at the end of the summer 2011 flying programme.
“Bmi, British Midland International will keep a significant presence at Manchester Airport and recently announced a new service to Frankfurt operated on behalf of Lufthansa, and in addition Bmi launched a new service from Manchester to Basel in Switzerland. Bmi Regional operates frequent services from Manchester Airport to Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Lyon.”
For more information visit bmibaby.com.
Report by Mark Caswell
New routes and frequencies from Belfast and East Midlands
