BMI
Bmi is to cut its services between Heathrow airport and the North of England after 40 years of continuous service
The airline will end its regular flights from London to Durham Tees Valley and Leeds Bradford airports from March 28, although links between Heathrow and Manchester will remain.
The move will close two routes that Bmi has operated for 40 and 30 years respectively, and follows British Airways’ decision to reduce services between Gatwick and Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester airports last November.
Bmi said a combination of falling demand, increased costs imposed by BAA at Heathrow and the Government’s decision to increase Air Passenger Duty (APD) were behind the cuts.
“The fact is that due in the main to BAA’s inflation-busting increases and changes to its pricing structures have placed a considerable disadvantage on short haul flights,” said Peter Spencer, managing director of Bmi.
“Travellers in the North of England are losing important links to Heathrow - they will now have to rely on European airports such as Amsterdam, Brussels and Frankfurt to connect to worldwide destinations,” he added.
Bmi carried 62,000 passengers on its four daily services between Leeds Bradford and Heathrow last year, while it currently operates three daily flights between Heathrow and Durham Tees.
Representatives from both airports say they are looking to maintain alternative links with London.
“We are well aware of the importance to our region of regular air links to London,” said John Parkin, chief executive of Leeds Bradford Airport. “We expect to be in a position to announce new services to the capital shortly.”
Hugh Lang, director of Peel Airports, which operates Liverpool John Lennon, Durham Tees Valley, Robin Hood and the City of Manchester airports, described the cuts as “disappointing”.
He added: “We understand the pressures Bmi are facing as a result of the economic climate and the impact of the punitive APD charges.”
The Government’s decision to increase APD has added further pressure on airlines already struggling to cope with the recession and a reduction in demand for air travel.
In November, APD – which was doubled in 2007 – will be restructured, making long- and medium-haul flights significantly more expensive.
Despite the financial downturn, Bmi has expanded some of its international services from Heathrow in recent weeks, announcing new routes to Riyadh and Tel Aviv.
However, services between Heathrow and Jersey and long-haul flights from Manchester have been stopped altogether, while flights to Dublin, Amsterdam, Brussels and Aberdeen have also been reduced since the announcement of a takeover by German airline Lufthansa, which is likely to be completed next month.