BMIBABY hints at two aircraft for BOH
New BmiBaby service to fly between Bournemouth and Jersey
By Tim Saunders » 23rd Feb 2010
More than 24,000 passengers are forecast to use BmiBaby’s new Bournemouth to Jersey service from Bournemouth Airport.
The low cost carrier will start flying a Boeing 737-300 three times a week from the airport on Monday, March 29 for six months.
If it realises its projections, the airline will fly from Bournemouth throughout the year and could add new destinations.
Bournemouth represents the operator’s only expansion this year outside its four other bases at East Midlands, Cardiff, Manchester and Birmingham.
Julian Carr, commercial director at BmiBaby, said: “Jersey has worked at other bases – it allows us to do the route without basing an aircraft here. The plane will fly from East Midlands to Jersey, from Jersey to Bournemouth, from Bournemouth to Jersey and from Jersey back to East Midlands.
“This offers opportunities for ongoing growth – it’s a foot in the door – a huge opportunity to take traffic away from Southampton.
“We will know how well it will go a month after it starts.”
In coming to Bournemouth, the operator has drawn on its experience at other regional hubs such as Cardiff, which is a similar size to Bournemouth Airport. There, it has two aircraft, which fly 13 routes. “There’s a possibility for two aircraft at Bournemouth in the future, subject to success,” Mr Carr said, adding that each plane creates about 35 jobs.
Recession has seen “a lot of business travellers now flying economy class and holidaymakers only taking a main holiday instead of two or three”.
“As a low cost airline this works in our favour,” Mr Carr said. “Instead of paying premium prices, they are flying with low cost carriers.”
BmiBaby operates 14 planes, employs 550 staff, and is part of BMI, a trading name of British Midland Airways, who are owned by Lufthansa.
taken from daily echo
Last edited by Nakata77; 24th Feb 2010 at 14:46.