bmi - new fleet?

[bmibaby.com]

Just heard on the rumor mill today that Lufthansa is going to be pumping more money into bmi british midland, to further strengthen their position route and aircraft wise against the no-frills carriers.

Can anyone confirm rumors of extra investment or a new aircraft order?

[akerosid]

That's probably to finance a fleet of 319s, which has been talked of for some time (and perhaps, even more significantly, the repainting of the 321s!).

I believe one 319 is already on order, but their requirement is for nine.

[BAe 146-100]

Hi,

A319 G-MIDN is due on January 2004.

BAe 146-100

[jmc_757-200]

Hi,
bmi where so called negotiating to dispose of 2 A320's, 2 A321's
and the Fokker fleet, to enable the acquisition of 9 A319's. Can anybody confirm this?

Thanks

jmc_757-200

[KAT TOO]

I understand that an order for 6 319's has just been placed, also bmi-regional are to take delivery of another 4 -6 ERJ145/135 next year to replace wet and dry lease aircraft (2) plus route expansion at EMA (Belfast city) and LBA (CPH & either DUS or FRA)

Longhaul to Washington to continue through this winter with new route (non US) from LHR.

Also hearing talk of new baby bases pos: Belfast Aldergrove and an overseas base (Germany) that will allow Luffty to cherry pick (as ever!!) routes

Understand that Luffty have been surprised at the pax growth at bmi although teh yield is down but profitable.

The last fokker may struggle on in to 2005 withthe final one's flying routes with out competion Teeside and Leeds.

The talks with Virgin have made Luffty wake up and smell the coffee it seems!!:ok:

[Astronut]

I don't think bmi are poriftable at all. baby are making money and
bmi are taking it all.

unfortunately for baby additional growth is now stymied by the fact they
are not allowed to compete onroutes out of manchester etc where they would compete with any of bmi's star alliance pals.

so if you work for baby don't expect a bonus this year (again) but be happy in the knowledge you are keeping your mainline friends in a job

[Frankfurt_Cowboy]

The possible routes ex LBA that Kat Too mentioned are also being vetoed by BMI's Star Alliance Pals. CPH was due to start on 11th May this year but SAS refused to play ball with connections as they thought it'd impact their MAN-CPH service too much. A proposed FRA service was banjaxed by LH for similar reasons and I can't really see DUS being introduced as there wouldn't even be significant connecting traffic.

[BAe 146-100]

Hi,

Are WW still using BD's F-100's to operate some routes?

Thanks
BAe 146-100

[682ft AMSL]

F_Cowboy - I agree in so much as we've been here before with bmi and nothing ever comes of it. What might sway things this time is that Jet2 have been showing an interest in slots at Frankfurt and Munich.

Not that I'm not entirely convinced the routes would work as a low-cost point to point service - a 2 x daily frequency would be needed to capture the business market and with 148 seat aircraft, that's a lot of capacity to fill. Nonetheless, the fact that Jet2 are at least thinking about it might be enough to get LH to appreciate that if their MAN routes are going to be diliuted, the traffic might as well be kept 'in-house' so to speak.

That said, Gordon Denison (ex MD of LBA) told me in about 1988 that a route to Germany was "just around the corner". I've been hearing pretty much the same from his various successors ever since, so I'm not holding my breath.

682

[EasyServis]

bmi british midland, if I am not mistaken have an Airbus fleet of:
11x A321, 10x A320 and 6x A319 on order

I recently heard that bmi were looking at expanding each fleet to 15 aircraft as well as boosting the number of Regional Jets for bmi regional from 10 ERJ-145s to 15 ERJ-145s plus up to 10 ERJ-135s.

Also has anyone heard of any plans for the Airbus A318 to enter service at bmi?

:ok:

[Frankfurt_Cowboy]

682AMSL, didn't the old LGW Citiflyer route go on to Dusseldorf in ye olden days? I know it's hardly the same but I'm sure it used to be listed as a through flight. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens but as you say, I won't hold my breath!!!!

[fast cruiser]

Easyservis

Yes you are mistaken last time I checked I flew the Fokker 100 for bmi mainline and I'm sure there are currently 6 F-100 at bmi for at
least mid next year!!!!!

One Fokker 100 is back at EMA next month for a while because a B737 is on check in the Hangar and then back to LHR the month after.

Also thought only 1 A319 had been ordered at the moment.

Only time will tell

cheers

fc

[BAe 146-100]

Hi,

fast cruiser, only 1 A319 is on order (G-MIDN).

Thanks
BAe 146-100

[KAT TOO]

BAE 146

I am told a further 5 were added to teh order book last week (Thursday) bmi believe that they can build on their paxs growth at BA's expense in the European Market.

A further anouncement is due at the end of August about their plans for 2004 with up to 30 new aircraft to be delivered over teh next 3 years across baby, regional and mainline, i too find that hard to believe, but then again if someone told me 5 years ago how big Easy and Ryan would be i wouldn't have believed that either!

[BAe 146-100]

Hi,

KAT TOO, thank you for confirming that.

BAe 146-100

[hanger35]

The only way your going to survive the airline business within the next few years is to start afresh complete with a low cost base.
This has been acheived by both Ryanair and Easyjet using the simple Southwest model of one class one aircraft, fast turnrounds, good promotion and cheapy fees.

BMA/BMI/BMIbaby/BMI regional or whatever they want to call themselves complete with five different colour liveries and upteen number of aircraft types are all over the shop. Where is the official base LHR or EMA?

The duplication of everything is only going to increase costs. A profit of 10 to 20 million a year is hardly ambitious and thats usually down a BA strike. Bishop thinks the new boys have had it easy but not as easy as him to when John Major gave him 80 slots at LHR when he was PM (the same 80 slots that lufty is after). I am afraid the airline is only a hoby for Bishop and a front for his other ventures.

Launching transatlantic around the time of 9/11 is bad luck but buying aircraft in the hope of flying transatlantic from LHR and not given the permission to use them is bad planning.

3 years max!:(

[KAT TOO]

Hanger 35

I agree that they have at most three years in the present format,i suspect that teh way they have been going in the other direction (regional out of ABZ new maintenece shop) baby own AOC that SMB will probably flog the mainline bit to the highest bidder that will allow him to keep teh other bits and i suspect that he will shaft the Germans and do a deal with Wolley Jumper and think he got a lot closer than has been reported a few months back ,but felt(slightly) better times were just around the corner and he would only have to pick up the phone to Richard and it would be game on.

Richard doesn't need the name only the slots and he won't be that bothered about the fedder traffic either, if Darling gives the nood on rwy 3 at LHR and that got to be 99% on then a whole lot of new `domestic slots` would be available for `internal` flights at the northern terminal No 6.
So it makes sense to do a deal that allows SMB to keep his train set but allows SRB to grow his and further line SMB pocket in the meantime.

A tie up with baby and virgin Express would also make a lot of sense and give real size to both ops, good only knows what they would do with the regional operation,it seems set to become " Scotlands Airline"